The Sound of Longing
by Rebel Paisley
Summary: Ben wants to be open about his relationship with Chad. Chad just wants to survive high school. Cue a high stakes game of political intrigue that ends with probably more kidnapping than it should. Sequel to 'Love Actually is The Worst'. (Poly fic)
1. You Can't Always Get What You Want

Chapter 1 – You Can't Always Get What You Want

Summary – Ben wants to be open about his relationship with Chad. Chad just wants to survive high school. Cue a high stakes game of political intrigue that ends with probably more kidnapping than it should.

WARNING: Not sure if this will be triggering, but there is a scene where Chad's personal boundaries are violated as a medical necessity. It isn't something he's thrilled about, but he understands the need. See endnotes for more details.

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-:-:-:-:-:-

* * *

"So for coronation I was thinking of getting us matching capes," Ben declared, staring down at his notebook (that Chad would read through later) before jotting down some random scribbles. "I know we each have to wear our kingdom's designated formalwear, but since we're going together-"

"Hold up." Chad stilled the earnest and frankly adorable diatribe with one hand, struggling to process the onslaught of information. "Since when are we going to coronation together?"

"Um." Chad struggled not to find Ben's confusion horribly cute. He failed. "Since I told you I loved you?"

"No, Ben," Chad sighed. "You describing your delightful fantasies does not constitute as asking me to coronation."

"Oh." Ben blinked, visually processing this. "Okay. Chad, will you go to-"

"About that." Chad knew they were going to have this conversation sooner or later, he'd just been hoping for 'later'. "I still think you should go with Evie."

And _there_ was the royal pout. "Why?" Ben asked, slowly closing his notebook.

"Because the Isle needs a champion, that's why." Chad was glad he had already formulated this perfectly reasonable argument. "Despite the fact that Mal and the others have been relatively on their best behavior, people are still wary of them. If people see you dating one of them – a _princess_, no less – that not only solidifies Evie's bid for the Hanover crown-" Which didn't need to be solidified but the older people of Ben's council were stubborn shits. "-but makes them seem more relatable, more trustworthy, and helps us fast track our proposals to get more kids off the Isle."

"And that's the entire reason," Ben said, not really a question. "That's it. You don't have some kind of ulterior motive that you're not sharing with me."

It was a damn shame that they had realized Chad was smart now, and that Chad felt disinclined to lie to his significant others. "Okay, there may be _other_ reasons-"

"Like the fact that you're a guy?" Ben pressed, his face shifting into an unhappy expression that killed Chad's soul. "Or the fact that there's no written record of royal same sex couples? _That_ doesn't have anything to do with it?"

Chad sighed. "Ben, try and be sensible about this."

"_No_." It was so like Ben to get obstinate when it would be least helpful. "No, I'm not going to apply logic to my feelings. Logic can dictate everything else in my life, but not my relationships. I love you."

"And I love you," Chad said, and it was terrifying how easy it was. "But we have a duty to our people, Ben-"

"And what about all the other same sex couples out there? Why can't _they_ have a champion? Why are we hiding when I want to shout from the rooftops how much I care about you? I mean, if you're really stuck on this Isle thing, I'll just take you _and_ Evie."

"_No_," Chad snapped before he could compose himself, forcing a few deep breaths at Ben's surprised expression. "Absolutely not, Ben. Do you have any idea what that would do to her? You'd make her a target, or worse, you'd label us _both_ as whores-"

"Could you please stop thinking of the worst possible scenario for everything?" Ben urged. "Chad, I love you. And I'm on my way to loving the others. I want our relationship, big and messy and complicated as it is. There's nothing wrong with what we're doing, and if we don't pave the way, who will?"

"Why don't we pave the way _after_ you're king?" Chad asked. "_After_ Evie is crowned as Queen Snow's heir and the others have their Auradon citizenships solidified? I'm not saying we should deny it forever, I'm saying we should be smart about this. We need to keep them safe." Chad could think of nothing worse than hurting the people he cared about due to his love. "We could have Aunt Snow do an exposé on polygamy – start working it into the popular culture in small ways-"

"We can do that," Ben said, and it was a relief that he would listen to reason, that he would learn. "_But_, I still want to take you to coronation."

"_Ben_," Chad groaned. "Look, my grandfather – he's old school." Ben's face settled into that deeply unhappy expression again, because they still didn't really talk about Chad's _grandfather_, even though he was sure Carlos and Doug may have let spill tales of his abuse. "You may be king soon, but I'm not going to get there until my father steps down, which will keep me under my grandfather's thumb until I'm at _least_ eighteen. Until then, I've got to play by his rules."

"So, what?" Ben's bottom lip was trembling, and Chad was frantic to try and piece together what he'd said that could make that happen. "You're just going to deny what we have for two years because of your grandfather?"

"It's only two years, Ben." Chad realized to Ben's fairytale life that might seem unreasonable, but it was such a quantifiable time to Chad. "After that I get the rest of my life to do whatever I please. And that will involve proclaiming my open love and admiration for your dumb, stubborn face, but I can't do that if I'm locked in a tower _'for my own good'_."

"Your grandfather wouldn't do that," Ben said, further proving how little he understood about the Duke. "Come with me to coronation."

"_No_," Chad said, then left the room, because if he didn't he might do something horrible like change his mind.

-:-:-:-:-:-

Of course Ben, being the stubborn shit that he was, didn't let the subject drop.

Instead of retreating with any amount of grace, the prince merely waited for a different audience, opting to ambush Chad when he and Evie were designing potential outfits for coronation.

"_Evie_," Ben exclaimed as he marched into the room, flopping down on her bed. "Tell Chad he has to go to coronation with me, otherwise it will be weird when he goes to cotillion with me."

"Is Chad _not_ going with you to coronation?" Evie asked, ignoring Ben's dramatics. "I thought I was making your capes."

So _that_ was what had started this mess.

"No, Chad is not going with him," Chad snapped. "And I'm not going with you to cotillion either; we talked about this."

"No, _you_ talked about it, and I thought you were dumb," Ben said, blowing off Chad's _very justified_ concerns. "I want you to go to coronation with me; I want you by my side for this important moment. Why wouldn't I fight to have my boyfriend there for me?"

"Um, because when people see _me_ by your side they're not going to think 'Hey, there's Chad Charming – the witty, kind, smart guy' they're going to think 'Wow, Chad must be really good in bed' because there's literally _no_ other reason for you to take me."

"Don't say that," Evie murmured, cupping Chad's face between her hands an pressing an insistent kiss to his lips. "Don't say that about my boyfriend."

"I have to if it's true," Chad replied, willing away his blush. "I've spent a long time developing a reputation as dumb and fairly harmless so I could get shit _done_ – that reputation isn't going to go away overnight."

"Then be vacant and airheaded for coronation and work on improving your rep for cotillion," Ben pressed. "You can drop all the stuff you don't care about and just- be you."

"It's not that _easy_," Chad groaned. "I still have my grandfather to contend with-"

"This again," Ben sighed.

"Yes, _this_ again." Chad had to force himself to remain calm. "I know you might find it hard to believe Ben, but not everyone has family members that like them. That's just _you_, the rest of us deal with what we have."

Chad paused when he recognized the stillness that had claimed Evie's shoulders, cursed the misstep because here he was – a _prince_ – complaining about family members, when Evie's mom was literally the Evil Queen.

"Evie, I'm so sorry," he gushed, taking her hands carefully. "I didn't mean-"

"No, you're right." She shook her head. "You're allowed to complain about your family, Chad. You don't have to hold back on my account."

"I'm sorry," he repeated instead of trying to deal with that response. "I just-"

"Does he really not like you?" It was Ben that asked this, seeming so shocked by the possibility that Chad wanted to cry. "I mean- he's your grandfather."

"Yeah, well-" Chad shrugged. "My mother was a commoner. As far as he's concerned, I'm the trash he's stuck with."

"That's…" Ben didn't know what to say.

Chad didn't know why that hurt him. "It is what it is, Ben."

"…maybe we should go for a walk," Evie offered, and then they did just that, pretending it wasn't a strategic retreat to get away from _Ben_ and his pity and broken heart.

-:-:-:-:-:-

"He's just so _frustrating_," Chad muttered, fighting not to petulantly kick his feet because that was distinctly not charming _or_ regal. "He lives this magical fantasy life and is surprised when the rest of us have to deal with reality. It's like he thinks I don't _want_ to go with him." When really, that was the thing Chad wanted more than anything else. "I do, I just also don't want to be a target."

"Your grandfather," Evie cut in, her arm hooked through his elbow so that they presented the perfect picture of royalty as they strolled the grounds. "How much of an issue is he? I know he controls your food intake, but everything else…"

"He controls everything he can because he doesn't trust me." Chad tried not to be bitter about this because it was just another fact of life, but he couldn't hide the entirety of his anger. "He thinks I'm a second away from ruining Sardinia's future. He tried to get my father to remarry after my mother's death but it wouldn't take – though if he _had_ he would have pushed for any of the children from that union to act as heir in my place."

Evie frowned. "But you'd be the oldest."

"Yes, but they would have had noble mothers which, as far as my grandfather's concerned, would make them much more suitable to inherit the crown." Chad shook his head, forcing his expression into bored amusement. "It doesn't matter. My father didn't remarry so he's stuck with me."

"And he controls your fate for at least another two years."

"Unfortunately," Chad sighed. "After that, he can't blame my age for 'poor decisions', he'd have to declare me mentally incompetent and that would be too much of an embarrassment for him. He might hate me but I'm still his _blood_, however little I look it."

Evie gave a noncommittal hum, though her fingers seemed to tighten against his arm. "Then I suppose there's nothing left to do but wait."

"Tell Ben that," Chad groused. "We just need him to realize he can't always get what he wants, and that taking you or Mal to coronation would be a great step for the Isle kids."

"We'll think of something," Evie said, and Chad desperately hoped she was right.

-:-:-:-:-:-

"-I understand your concerns," Ben was saying, had _been_ saying, though if he really understood them he wouldn't keep bringing this up. "But your grandfather can't punish you for accepting an invitation from the crown prince."

"Yes, he _can_." For once, this was not issued from Chad, but from _Carlos_ of all people, who broke his silence with a furious look. "Ben, if Chad says it's no good, it's no good."

"Carlos-"

"_No_, Ben." The young De Ville was on his feet now, earning concerned looks from Evie and Jay. "You weren't there after the football game."

Chad felt his stomach drop like a stone. "Carlos-"

"_No_." This seemed even more furious. "You weren't there when Chad was beaten so hard he could barely _walk_ – so hard that Aziz and Lonnie had to sneak him to some clinic-"

"Chad." It was Ben's turn to look crushed, the air in the room painfully still. "Is that… did that happen? When we thought you were sick?"

Chad fought very hard to maintain his composure. "Sometimes negative reinforcement is necessary-"

"It's _abuse_," Doug snapped. "It's abuse and you covered for him-"

"Because he has far more power than _anyone_ in this room, Ben included," Chad shot back. "We talked about this."

"Is this a regular thing?" Mal asked, shifting to her feet.

"He rarely exerts the effort," Chad replied, because that was true.

"That's not an _answer_."

"He's always been like this." Chad didn't have any other way to explain it. "My father stopped interacting with me when my mom died so my grandfather took over to make sure I'd be the leader Sardinia needed. Unfortunately, we don't see eye-to-eye on… a lot of things." Far too many things. "It's one of the reasons I created a dumb persona in the first place, because I can be charming, just not more charming than my dad. I have to be the _best_, but I can't be _better_."

"That's ridiculous," Doug muttered.

"Well, that's my _life_," Chad snapped. "It is a constant balancing act and if you think for a second that I don't want to go with you to coronation, that every fiber of my being isn't begging for the opportunity, you are wrong. I want to, Ben. I just _can't_."

"…he'd hurt you, because of this," Ben said quietly, the tension in the room somehow managing to increase. "Hurt you because of _us_."

"He'd find other reasons to hurt me, Ben." Chad had learned that through hard experience. "It will always be something; this is just one of the things that can affect you too."

"This is fucking stupid," Jay snarled, though it seemed mostly to himself.

"We can't let this keep happening," Evie pressed, trying to be the voice of reason. "Your father-"

"Has been suffering from severe depression since my mother died," Chad admitted, hated saying the words out loud even though he knew they were true. "He functions enough to carry the kingdom, but he can't do much more than that." His hands curled into tight fists against his knees. "My grandfather won't _let_ him, and every time I try to get him treatment-"

Punishments and interceptions at every turn.

He released a shaky sigh. "I don't have the power to do what I _need_ yet. I started collecting evidence against my grandfather, but it's hard to keep things from him. Hard to do it and stay safe."

He controlled – everything. Everything Chad tried to touch, tried to claim as his own.

"… you were alone before," Ben began suddenly, eyes wet and voice sounding close to shaky. "You've been fighting him alone but you've got _us_ now."

"I can't-" Panic laced through Chad's chest. "I can't risk you for my problems. _Any_ of you. The Duke hasn't pushed me past my breaking point because he _needs_ me, but anyone else could be a casualty. He wouldn't care, Ben. You have to understand that."

"I understand that this old fucker needs to be taken care of," Mal muttered, eyes shining a furious shade of green. "You're _mine_ – I claimed you. _We_ claimed you, and if he wants to hurt what's ours, he's got another thing coming."

"Mal, _please_." Chad could feel the desperation edging at the corners of his mind. "You don't know who you're dealing with. I've spent years maneuvering around him-"

"And you were a child," Doug said, a seemingly harmless note that cut more effectively than any barb. "This isn't right, Chad. If you've got evidence, we need to take it to the council."

"They have no reason to believe me," Chad said. "_Me_, specifically-"

"Queen Snow will believe you." Doug didn't doubt this, but mostly it was because he was right. "Sultana Jasmine will believe you. General Fa will believe you. Ben is already on your side, if we talk to Fairy Godmother, start briefing the other prominent council members-"

"I've _been_ doing that," Chad pressed. "But it takes time, and my grandfather controls where I go."

"That's why you've got to let us help you," Evie said, like it was simple. "_We_ can do the groundwork for you; you just have to trust us."

"I wouldn't be here if I didn't trust you." That went without question. "But _please_, you don't understand the fight you're getting into. Nothing about it will be easy and you will _all_ be at risk."

Mal tossed her hair as though he _hadn't_ basically outlined the need for a political coupe. "Sounds like fun."

And apparently, that was that.

-:-:-:-:-:-

The fun thing about fighting a monster was that a monster did not play by your rules.

It reviewed them for the sake of entertainment, sneered at their restrictiveness, then completely batted the concepts aside before enforcing rules of their own, terraforming the playing field into something that allowed them the greatest advantage.

In real terms, that meant _this_:

Chad had been stupid. He'd been naïve to think that the Duke wouldn't have some kind of eye on the people Chad had started publicly hanging out with on a regular basis. Chad had been absent from a new school _function_ for them, had stolen a weekend with the _crown prince_ – of course the Duke had noticed that. Of _course_ the Duke had kept a close eye on their actions. _Of course_ the Duke had bid his time, waiting for Chad to slip up, then pounced the moment things might be slightly inconvenient for him, because that was what he _did_. He took care of problems before they could actually _become_ problems.

For Chad, that meant he fell asleep one night in the dorm room he shared with Doug and woke up the next day groggy and disoriented, and also _not in his dorm room_. No, he knew this place from his grandfather's threats – the secret attic tower storage space that had been wiped from any ground plan of Sardinia Castle. It had no windows, only smooth stone walls and yet, Chad did not doubt for a second where he was.

To add insult to injury, Chad wasn't even strapped to his bed. He had been deposited on the lumpy thing, stripped of his normal clothes and clad in a thin hospital gown. Turning his head was a monumental effort, but he managed it if only to avoid the glare from the bright ceiling lights.

It brought him face-to-face with his grandfather, who reclined in a rickety looking chair next to Chad as though it was a throne.

"You truly are a nuisance, Chadwick," the Duke said, upon seeing he had Chad's attention. "Thankfully, your new '_friends_' are less-so, at least without you to spur them on."

"D-don't…" Chad gasped, each movement a struggle as he fought to control his mouth. He was definitely drugged. "Don't… hurt-"

"I have no care for who that daft prince warms his bed with," the Duke said with a dismissive scoff. "Though I'm not surprised you found a way to worm yourself in there. You were always good at getting what you wanted."

Chad tried to form some kind of protest, but even just _breathing_ seemed difficult to manage.

"As you can imagine," the Duke continued. "I have been waiting for an opportunity to pull you from the public eye for quite a while. I'm grateful that you provided me sufficient motivation to do so, it was very thoughtful of you." Of _course_ he considered it thoughtful, he was a _monster_. "I will keep this brief," he said. "Officially, you have returned to Sardinia to brush up on your private studies. You will remain here until Prince Benjamin calls off his farce of an investigation. Actually…" His fingers tapped a random pattern against the top of his cane. "I suppose I shall keep you here until Cotillion, to ensure you do not embarrass the name of Sardinia further."

Panic spiked in Chad's chest. That would be six months. His grandfather wanted to keep him trapped for _six months_.

"You'll notice that your motor functions are not as responsive as usual," his grandfather continued, careless of Chad's growing panic. "That is because you've been dosed by a rare potion I bought off the black market, the effects of which can only be reversed by a very specific antidote that only _I_ possess." He seemed very smug when he said this, though Chad supposed it was his due, at this point. "You will behave, Chadwick," his grandfather said, gaze narrowed with hatred. "Or you will be a cripple for the rest of your life."

With that, he pushed himself up out of the chair, making bold strides towards the trap door that would take him into the castle below. "I have assigned two servants to look after you, but other than that, you will be alone, as you should be."

He left before Chad could try to get a word in edgewise, though Chad understood _why_.

The Duke had won. Chad had tried to fight against him and gotten handicapped and locked away for his troubles. And what was worse, the others might begin to blame themselves, might be going out of their minds with panic because they didn't know where Chad _was_.

Chad had never felt so frustratingly _useless_ before, but he supposed that was the point. The Duke didn't want him to feel in control, because Chad _wasn't_ in control. He had lost.

He could only hope that the others would find him soon.

Assuming they found him at all.

-:-:-:-:-:-

Chad's days became a relentless cycle of monotony, frustration, and his basic privacy being regularly violated.

His grandfather had not been lying about Chad's handicapped status. He hadn't been tied to his bed because he didn't have the energy to _leave_ his bed, but what was worse, he couldn't really _feel_ his body either. Most sensation had been stolen away with the poison, until he seemed buoyed in a state of constant numbness.

The two servants that had been assigned to him were a male nurse and a female servant. The nurse was the one who had equipped Chad with a catheter he couldn't feel. He was the one who gave Chad the occasional sponge bath or manipulated his limbs so his muscles would not atrophy before the Duke felt like releasing Chad.

The maid was in charge of trading out Chad's medical gown, in charge of feeding him and brushing his hair in quick, efficient movements that offered no comfort.

It was uncomfortable, and yet Chad found himself yearning for their presence, because when they weren't there he was _alone_, useless and unoccupied for hours on end. He had no way of telling the passage of time aside from the three meals he received a day, and the Duke could very well have ordered the servants to fuck with Chad's internal clock by manipulating the hours between those meals, because he was a petty man like that.

With each potential day that passed, Chad grew to hate himself more, grew more worried for his partners. He hoped they weren't beating themselves up over this. He hoped they didn't think he was _dead_. He hoped-

He hoped he'd get to see them again one day, but he had a feeling he wouldn't.

Good things rarely stayed in Chad's corner, after all.

-:-:-:-:-:-

Time passed… horribly. Slowly.

Chad tried to keep himself occupied, running through the different alphabets for the languages he knew, reviewing the non-restricted mystic arts in his arsenal. He mused over thought experiments and math equations, public policies he wanted to adapt and improve.

He tried to keep his thoughts clinical, but he couldn't help but think of the others. Think about what Ben was doing, how Doug fared. He worried about the transfer students, hoped that Mal and Jay's tempers stayed in check. Chad wondered if his grandfather had forged a note in Chad's handwriting to explain his absence, or if the Duke had been up front about his blackmail.

Chad tried to focus on easier things, like the sound of Mal's laugh and Evie's smile, Jay's need to win and Carlos' ingenuity. He thought about Doug's stubbornness and Ben's goofiness. He held onto that.

It was all he could do.

-:-:-:-:-:-

Chad suspected that maybe two months had passed before things changed.

In sort of an explosive way.

One moment he'd been asleep (he slept a lot, nowadays) and the next the trapdoor had exploded upwards, followed by a haze of movement that he was pretty sure was a hallucination, because Aziz and Lonnie wouldn't have been stupid enough to sneak into _his_ castle for a rescue mission when Sardinia proper was a clusterfuck of political red tape.

And yet, it wasn't an illusion when Chad was getting loaded onto a magic carpet, when Lonnie urged him to go back to sleep-

So he did.

It wasn't like he could do much else.

* * *

-:-:-:-:-:-

* * *

Endnotes:

I won't lie, I had grand intentions of this being longer than it is. I tend to write my stories out of order, so I had plans for a drawn-out investigation and slowly rising tension _before_ Chad got kidnapped, but _man_ did my inspiration crap out on me. The rest of the story was mostly there, so that was why we ended up with the expedited evil Duke doing evil things you can all come to expect from me ;P

Also, the Duke knows Chad is just, the most persistent little shit in the world, so if he has to keep him hostage you better _believe_ he was going to be drugged, or else there was a huge chance of Chad escaping on his own.

As always, if you feel like I missed a tag, for this chapter or any others, please let me know. I prefer to ere on the side of caution, and while I do my best to catch this stuff myself, sometimes I've been staring at a story so long that the details fade out on me :)

For those of you who haven't read the previous story, Sardinia is the name I came up for Chad's kingdom. Its cannon name is 'Cinderellasburg' which- yeah, just doesn't sound like a real country, so I improvised.

WARNING – If you want to skip the scene in reference, it starts with 'Chad's days became a relentless cycle of monotony…'. It's a short scene, sets the stage more than anything else.

Until next time ^_^


	2. Getting Friendly, Then Get Friendlier

Chapter 2 – Getting Friendly, Then Getting Friendlier

* * *

-:-:-:-:-:-

* * *

Chad blinked to awareness slowly, the fight for coherency a monstrous thing he almost lost, only managed to force his way through with his desperation, a strong desire to see if the last thing he remembered was actually true. Aziz. Lonnie – rescuing him from the castle. Bright lights and the taste of sweet air before the darkness claimed him again. He needed to know what happened.

But first, he needed to wake up.

That time when Chad opened his eyes, it was to a completely foreign room – stone walls without windows that would have made him think _dungeon_ were it not for the obviously homey feel. Rugs and paintings, flowers and knickknacks scattered across the bookshelves. It was designed for comfort while allowing maximum protection, which shifted Chad's deduction from dungeon to _safe room_. He was in a royal bolthole, which meant he was likely among friends. His grandfather certainly wouldn't have cared enough to move him to such a nice location, especially after an escape attempt.

The bed he was on was cozy, with soft sheets and padded quilts made more for comfort than function, and belatedly he realized there was a hand carding through his hair. The hand belonged to an arm that hooked over the edge of the mattress, its owner seemingly settled on the floor, leaning against Chad's bed for balance.

Chad… did not recognize the top of that head. There was a dark bandana and pale skin, and none of those added up to a person he knew. It was… concerning.

He tried to keep still, but basic functions were something the poison had stolen from him, so a gentle tilt of his head turned into a gross spasm that easily jolted the mystery human's hand.

Curious brown eyes popped over the edge of the mattress. "Hey, you're awake!"

"Yep." Chad managed a grin as the unidentified teenager leveraged himself up to his knees, allowing his full face to be seen. "And you're a stranger."

"I'm Gil!" the teen allowed cheerfully. "And you're Chad!"

"That's me." Because there was no point in denying that much. "…do you know where we are, Gil?"

"Nope!" He didn't seem bothered by this either. "It's some safe place set up by that prince guy- but I um- lost track of where we were going, so…" He dropped off with a frown. "Apparently, there are a _lot_ of people mad at you. Which seems weird, since you're stuck in bed and all."

"I'm a very talented individual." As well as a very confused one. "Do you know where that 'prince guy' is?"

And the others. The others would be nice.

Gil's face melted into an expression of apology. "No, man. Sorry. They're um- off fixing the kingdom, or something? Anyway, me, Uma, and Harry are supposed to guard you- well, we're also here for _'our own protection'_ because the prince guy wanted to bring over more Isle kid but apparently everyone's mad, or something? So we get to _not_ be on the Isle but we have to stay here, so…" He shrugged. "We're supposed to take turns watching you, but Uma and Harry prefer to explore the property, so it's just me!"

"Okay." That was… a lot of information from what seemed to be an unreliable source.

"I'm Gaston's son, by the way," Gil added, still cheerful. Chad would think it was a façade were it not for the fact that Gil seemed a thousand percent committed to his dopey grins. "And Uma's Ursula's daughter, and Harry's Captain Hook's son. We're pirates!"

The second two, Chad could understand that occupation for, but Gaston was a hunter, which seemed to have little to do with boats.

Whatever, Chad knew better than most that you had to do what was necessary to get by.

"I suppose this is a poor alternative to a ship."

"Maybe." Gil shrugged again. "But the food's good and there's hot water and _beds_, so I'm cool with it. Uma misses the ocean though."

"What about Harry?" Chad asked, because what _else_ did he have to do?

The others were out there, fighting some grand political fight without him because he was as useful as a sack of potatoes, and here Chad was barely managing the energy for a _conversation_. Pathetic.

"Harry misses whatever Uma misses," Gil said, as though this were a healthy and reasonable response. "I think he's mad, though. We were supposed to be free out here but we're really not. Just um- 'tools' or political… prawns?"

"Pawns," Chad corrected. "Smaller pieces in a bigger puzzle."

"Oh." Gil blinked. "Yeah, that makes sense. Anyway, Harry's real mad about it."

"He has every right to be," Chad said, because it was true. "You all do. What happened before- what's happening now, it's not fair. And for whatever it's worth, I'm sorry you guys are stuck here."

Gil blinked in surprise, like he hadn't expected that response. "Aw, thanks man. I don't think that will help Harry, but it _is_ nice." He looked down at the bed, started fiddling with the streets. "You're the first one to try and see it from our point of view. Even Mal and the others just sort of ignored us." He slumped forward. "Is that why people are mad at you? Because you're cool?"

"It's mostly because I'm a little shit," Chad replied, grinning at the way Gil laughed. "And um… the future king likes me, so if someone doesn't like the him, they could hurt me to get to him."

"Oh, sort of like when the rival gangs attack me to get to Uma?" Gil said, casually creating an example that was easier for him to understand while also revealing the mild horrors he had suffered on the Isle. "That makes sense."

"Unfortunately," Chad agreed.

Gil considered the floor for a moment. "Um… Evie said you were smart."

"Kind of," Chad said, because even he only thought that was partially true.

"Could you…" Gil frowned. "We're supposed to be working on these like- _worksheets_ and stuff while we're guarding you only um- I'm not all that great at reading."

"I could help with that," Chad said before Gil would have to ask, because if Chad had learned anything from Jay and Mal, it was that asking for help didn't come naturally to the VKs. "As it would seem my schedule is open."

A beat, and then Gil laughed, finally getting the joke. "You're funny," he said, grabbing some workbooks he must have abandoned on the floor and sidling in beside Chad, helping him sit up against a mountain of pillows. "And um- I'm not that smart, so sorry in advance."

"Everyone starts somewhere, Gil," Chad said, watching thick fingers open to the first set of worksheets. "We weren't all born knowing everything. We had to work to get there, just like you are now."

"Huh." Gil tilted his head. "I never thought of that."

"It kind of puts things in perspective," Chad agreed, and with that, they got to learning.

-:-:-:-:-:-

Gil wasn't dumb, but it was obvious he wasn't accustomed to a learning environment. At the very least, he wasn't accustomed to a _school_ learning environment – clearly he knew things, but those things had likely been taught with hands-on experience. Because of this, it made sitting still in one place and _focusing_ difficult, likely because he'd never had to do it, so Chad got creative.

Which was what led to him teaching Gil the alphabet in sign language, giving him something to do with his hands that made him_ feel_ productive and fun, all the while reinforcing the fundamentals.

"And I can use this to talk to people without using my mouth?" Gil asked again, furrowing his brows in concentration when Chad pointed to the letter '_R_' before responding with the appropriate sign.

"Yep," Chad huffed. Even writing and pointing took a lot out of him. "There's a whole language you can learn for your hands. I can help teach you that too, after we get done with reading."

"And you- you really think I could learn to read?" Gil asked, tongue poking out the side of his mouth as he signed the letter '_K_'. "Like- it's not hopeless?"

"No one's hopeless, Gil." Chad kept his tone even and supportive, though inside he wanted to rage at the thought of Gil – obviously sweet and kind of dopey – being brought up with that mindset. "Some people are better at some things than others, but that is not the mark of how good we are as a whole. Like," he elaborated when he noticed he'd sort of lost Gil. "What's something you're good at?"

"Oh, I'm really strong!" Gil chirped, fumbling with his fingers for a moment before finding the sign for '_B_'. "And um- I'm really good at doing the same thing for a long time."

"Okay, so you're patient and you've got good stamina," Chad said. "Not everyone can do that. Not everyone's strong. That doesn't make _them_ hopeless at like, getting in shape; it just means that they don't have the aptitude for it like you do. So-" He pointed to another letter, smiling as Gil gave him the sign for '_E_'. "Just because you're not _used_ to doing this, doesn't mean you can't learn. And even if you don't get very good at it, it doesn't mean you're dumb. It just means you're good at other things."

"Wow." Gil blinked, staring down at his hands. "I never thought of it like that. I just thought I was stupid."

"Well, you're not." Chad managed to keep a tight leash on his anger. "Stupid people wouldn't want to learn how to read anyway."

"And I do!" Gil chirped, looking excited by the prospect. "So I _can't_ be dumb. Thanks, Chad!"

"You're welcome." Chad grinned, because even if he wasn't being of any real use to Auradon as a whole, then at least he was able to help Gil, and that was far from nothing. "Okay, now I think you're ready to learn the song."

"There's a _song_?" Gil asked, and his excitement was so infectious even Chad had to grin.

-:-:-:-:-:-

"We'll work on writing basics tomorrow," Chad said, yawning against his shoulder. "Sorry. With the poison everything's all…"

Gil perked up. "Where you poisoned?" He narrowed his eyes to really look at Chad. "You don't _look_ like you're dying."

"It's more debilitating than injuring." At Gil's blank look, he elaborated, "It was designed more to um… keep me in bed than it was to kill me. To like, inconvenience me."

"That's weird," Gil said, blunt as always.

"Trust me, if you _really_ don't like someone, you don't put them out of their misery quickly, you annoy them over long periods of time." Which was the nicest way of phrasing being held hostage and simultaneously blackmailed.

"Noted." Gil blinked. "Oh! I'm supposed to try and get you to eat something if you wake up though. Sorry." He looked a little bashful. "I was supposed to do that earlier."

Chad grinned. "It's fine, don't worry about it. I can probably eat."

Gil looked startled by this easy acceptance, but he shifted into a familiar grin nonetheless. "Okay, I'll be right back!"

He scrambled out the door in a flurry of movement, likely eager to please, and Chad smiled. If this _was_ just another trick by his grandfather, it was an elaborate one, and Gil was a good actor. Granted, Chad would have preferred if the others had given Gil some kind of code word so Chad could actually _know_ he was safe, but as it was, he just had to trust.

Eventually, Gil returned with a triumphant grin, a bowl of mixed berries clutched between his hands with a hunk of bread balancing on the edge.

"The food here is really awesome," Gil explained as he settled down next to Chad. "Which you probably know already but like- there's a bunch of food here that we don't really know how to cook but _these-_" He gestured to the berries. "Are great! So I thought you could eat those." He frowned down at Chad's hands. "Are you gonna be able to grab them?"

"Um…" Chad frowned, made a careful attempt to navigate his shaky hand into the bowl. He fumbled for a strawberry, internally hating himself, but Gil's fingers wrapped around his own before he could make an actual mess of things.

"It's okay, dude," Gil said softly. "Your body's not working really well right now, but you're smart! And my body's fine but I'm still working on my brain – so like, we can work together." And with that, he plucked up the selected strawberry and offered it to Chad, letting him eat it from his fingers.

Chad took it carefully, and the blueberry that followed that. There wasn't any strange aftertaste, no hints of sabotage under Gil's cheerful stare, which dimmed Chad's paranoia as the meal went on. Honestly, it felt closer to what Ben had done for him long ago, to Jay and Doug who liked to feed Chad, take care of him, and it was difficult not to flush because Gil seemed so pleased by such a small thing.

"This is nice," Gil said once they started on the bread hunk. "You didn't even bite me."

"Why would I bite the literal hand that was feeding me?" Chad asked around a mouthful of bread, to hell with royal manners. He was in a safehouse.

"For fun?" Gil offered. "I don't know, people do that kind of stuff to me for a laugh."

"I'm not going to do that," Chad said, knew Gil _might_ take his word for it but knew he could back up the claim with his behavior. "We're friends, Gil. And friends don't hurt each other if they can help it."

Gil blinked. "We're friends? But you're like-" He dropped his voice to a low whisper, despite the fact that they were the only two in the immediate vicinity. "_A prince_."

"Yes," Chad agreed. "And you're like- _nice_."

"I am?" Gil considered this, and then his face fell. "_Knew it_."

"There's nothing wrong with being nice, Gil. You're not on the Isle anymore; you can be whatever you want to be."

"It's just kind of weird, you know?" Gil shrugged, not quite looking at Chad. "People are all mad 'cuz our parents were villains, so I thought _we_ were supposed to be villains, only Mal and the others didn't do that at all."

"That's because you're not your parents, Gil," Chad said. "And whoever judges you on the crimes of your father is in the wrong, not you. You're good."

"Weird," Gil repeated, but he seemed better with it. He frowned at the empty bowl. "We should probably get you washed up before bed, right?"

"That's um-" Chad flushed. "Not necessary-"

"No, there's lots of hot water here," Gil said, already striding across the room into what seemed to be an ensuite bath. "There's a tub and another thing that I don't know how to use yet, so we'll just stick with a bath!"

"I'm really _fine_, Gil!" Chad tried in vain to stop the other teen, though he was cut off by the sounds of running water. The majority of his bathing seemed to be taken care of when he was unconscious back when he was first taken hostage, which had kept Chad partially-free of the feeling of stranger's hands on him. Granted, Gil wasn't a stranger, but Chad had really only known him for about three hours, and wasn't super keen on getting bathed by someone he didn't know.

But he didn't seem to have much choice in the matter, because of the stupid poison and the stupid safehouse and the stupid boyfriends and girlfriends who couldn't spare just _one_ of them to be with Chad, because Auradon's future was more important than Chad's comfort. And he _knew_ that, he did, but it still stung.

"Hello," Gil chirped when he strolled back into the room, steam wafting behind him. "Come on, upsy-daisy."

Gil hadn't lied about being strong- he picked Chad as though he weighed nothing, effortlessly carrying him into the bathroom before setting him on a chaise lounge – horribly impractical and likely Ben's handiwork – before crouching down to begin tugging off Chad's socks.

"I've never given anyone a bath before," Gil said with a sort of confidence that came from the oblivious. "We usually like- spot wash back on the Isle, but you're a prince so you should definitely have something better." He shifted up, sliding the hem of Chad's long sleeve shirt up his torso before gingerly trying to work it over his head. "I tested the water; it should be fine."

With a visible focus, Gil folded Chad's shirt into a lopsided square, setting it into an open hamper with his socks. "Carlos also left this bubble stuff? It's awesome. I might have used it."

"Bubble stuff should be enjoyed by all," Chad offered as sagely as he could while half-dressed, Gil pouring some of Evie's solution into the filling tub before he turned back to Chad. "So no worries."

"You're really nice." Gil's brows furrowed with concentration as he guided Chad's sweatpants down his legs. "And really cute. Which isn't a surprise because you're a prince."

"Not all princes are necessarily cute," Chad said. "But thank you."

"You're welcome," Gil chirped, seeming delighted by the comment. "You're really polite too. It's weird, but nice. I like it."

"You're doing me a favor," Chad said as Gil used the same amount of concentration folding his pants as he had the other clothes. "It would be rude of me not to express my appreciation."

"Even though I'm-" Gil motioned to himself.

"You haven't committed any crimes in Auradon, Gil." As far as Chad knew. "Which means you're entitled to the same respect as anyone else."

Gil looked at him, his expression lost but hopeful. "I don't think anyone's respected me before."

"Maybe they've never _said_ it, but I'm sure they have." Chad hoped. _Hoped_ sincerely even if he knew how easily it could not be true.

Gil seemed to take that for what it was worth with a smile. "Yeah, maybe. I hadn't thought of that." With that, his fingers curled around the waist of Chad's boxer-briefs, a pale flush dusting his cheeks. "Um- I can close my eyes. It might be hard for me to get you into bath-"

"It's fine, Gil." Even if Chad felt uncertain before, they may as well commit to it. "You're helping me. Just um- know that I'm spoken for."

"What's that mean?" Gil asked, staring at Chad's face as he eased the underwear off his legs.

"Like, um- I'm dating some people."

"Dating," Gil repeated, disregarding naked Chad as he chucked the underwear and sweatpants into the hamper. "I've heard of that. It's like- that's almost marriage, right?"

"Yeah." That was a close equivalent. "It's the thing you do _before_ marriage to see if you want to, you know, get married."

"Harry and Uma have something like that," Gil said, which further sealed the deal that he wasn't a plant because he likely wouldn't have given that information away so easily. He picked Chad up – naked Chad – and lowered him into the tub carefully, shutting off the water so it was up to Chad's chest. "They don't call it that, but they like- _like_ each other."

"Does that um- make you sad?"

It seemed to, as little as Gil expressed negative emotions.

The other teen shrugged, picking up a washcloth and lathering it with soap. "I'm happy they're happy. They're my friends, even if I'm just like- their second mate."

"That's a good attitude to have," Chad said quietly, trying to keep himself relaxed as Gil started clumsily cleaning his chest.

It was an odd process of trial and error, Gil almost upending Chad under the water a few times when his strength got the better of them, lifting Chad's leg enthusiastically to wash it and almost drowning Chad in the tub. Still, they managed to get through it mostly without incident, Gil rubbing carefully at Chad's stomach.

"It's weird," Gil said, mindless of the fact that his clothes were soaked from his efforts. "Most people are ticklish here."

"It's the poison." Chad shrugged. Or, tried to. "It dulls my nerve endings so I can't really feel stuff that well."

"What?" Gil blinked. "Even-"

His hand drifted lower, settled meaningfully between Chad's legs before scrubbing gently at _that_ territory.

Chad flushed. "Yeah, I can't-" He didn't know what to say, didn't know if this counted as cheating or cleaning. "I can't really feel it."

"That's _awful_." Gil seemed genuinely upset by this. "That's like- a natural, healthy- a _good_ thing," he settled on when it seemed he had no other words. "And it's because of the poison?"

"Yeah." Chad had long come to terms with it; it wasn't like he had been eager to get things on while he'd been trapped in his grandfather's clutches. "It's okay, Gil. Eventually I'll get the antidote and things will be fine."

Gil didn't seem to hear him. "Maybe Uma could help you," he muttered. His hand was also still between Chad's legs, but it was like he'd forgotten about it. "She has magic now that she's outside the Ilse. If I ask, maybe she could-" He withdrew suddenly, rising to his feet. "I'll be right back!"

"Gil!" Chad tried to reach for him but was too slow, could only stare as the other teen's large frame disappeared out the door, dripping water as he went.

Okay, so that was not how Chad had wanted that to go. Now he was stuck naked in a bathtub and there was little he could do about it, his limbs still feeling too uncooperative to even _think_ about climbing out of the tub. Just his luck.

He spent his time writing a mental letter of complaint to Doug, because he deserved it the least and always found Chad's whining endearing for some reason, while trying to make a plan for what should happen should Gil forget about him. And then another plan for if he actually returned. Clearly, Chad needed to be careful with what he said, but he didn't know Gil well enough to realize what could set him off yet. Chad had the feeling he would be in for a fun series of trial and error before he got that on lockdown.

He was just finishing up a mock letter of complaint to Carlos for being so thoughtful about the dumb bubbles without being here to capitalize on them when Gil finally returned. That part was good. The part that was less good was that he seemed to have tracked down his friend Uma, who watched over the scene with a mixture of surprise and amusement.

"This is Chad!" Gil chirped, waving an exciting hand at him. "And he's been poisoned!"

"Hi." Chad managed a shaky wave, grateful for the bubbles that hid his aforementioned _lack of clothing_. "Sorry we couldn't meet under better circumstances."

"I don't know," Uma drawled, raking her eyes over his body suggestively before crossing to the side of the tub. "These circumstances seem pretty fine to me."

"Chad is _'spoken for'_," Gil offered brightly, resuming his old position crouched next to the tub. "That means he's dating someone. But yeah, he's real pretty."

"Thank you, Gil," Chad said, because he was polite.

"So," Uma began, crossing her arms in a defensive measure she would likely deny. "How does it feel to depend on Isle trash for your wellbeing?"

"Firstly, none of you are trash," Chad corrected. "And there was a reason I was kidnapped and poisoned in the first place, and it _wasn't _because I agreed with the old policies."

"A revolutionist, huh?" Uma drawled, seeming unimpressed. "Don't seem like a very good one."

"Every plan has hiccups," Chad replied. "They can do what they want to me but the majority of my policy changes are already in motion."

He had managed _that_ much before he had been taken. It was his one consolation.

"I don't know what that means," Gil said, slipping back into the conversation. "_But_, Chad's been teaching me how to read, and-" He signed a few letters. "Do that. Those are letters."

"Has he?" Uma said, taking a moment to reassess Chad. "You were supposed to get me as soon as he woke up."

"Oh." Gil blinked. "I forgot. But I got you now, because-" He plunged his hand into the water and palmed Chad's groin. "The poison messed with his ability to feel stuff, like this, and I thought you could help him."

"I'm actually fine," Chad muttered, trying to will away his flush. "There's more to life than um- exploring carnal pleasures."

"He talks so fancy," Gil whispered, moving his hand slowly. Chad couldn't really feel it, but he knew it was _there_ and that was- something.

He and Ben would be having _words_ after this.

"I don't know," Uma hummed. "You _are_ teaching Gil how to read."

"And the alphabet song!" Gil chirped. "It's awesome."

"I think," Uma said, carding her fingers through Chad's hair. "That deserves a bit of a reward."

"I don't think you'll be able to help me." Though he longed for that to be true. "It requires a specific antidote to reverse the affects. It's one of the reasons they were able to hold me hostage for so long."

"Maybe," Uma allowed. Her fingers curled against a shell necklace hanging around her neck. "But I can do some pretty good things with water. Gil, baby, step back."

Gil obeyed her without question, eyes trained on Uma as the shell between her hands seemed to glow. For a moment there was nothing, and then Chad felt it- a sort of _warmth_, a relentless curling pressing between his legs that his body seemed to respond to on instinct, thighs spreading wide and hips shifting forward eagerly as he revisited a pleasure he had long abandoned.

"U-Uma," he gasped, head falling back against the edge of the tub. "I, um-"

"I might not be able to cure you," she said, continuing to pet his hair. "But I can do this."

"And we're not touching you, so it's not cheating," Gil decided, watching the magic seem to glow and swirl around Chad's shaking form.

"I um- can't argue with that but-" _Fuck_ it had been what felt like forever, and Chad was already so close to the edge. "Y-you don't have to-"

"Consider it a treat for both of us," Uma mused, doing something that made the water _pulse _between Chad's legs.

"_Fuck_," he hissed, biting on his lip to keep a moan from spilling out. "Uma-"

"What's my name?" she said quietly, nails scratching into his scalp hard enough for him to feel it. "Come on, your _highness_."

"Uma," he gasped. "Uma, I'm-"

He fell apart quickly, body twitching spastically against the tub while pleasure ripped through his body. It was weird to feel something so _distinctly_ after feeling nothing for so long, and Chad found himself crooning from the effort, quiet moans spilling from his throat while the water teased what was left of him into a pliant, boneless mess.

"_Wow_," Gil breathed, crouching low so that he and Chad were at eye-level. "Never thought I'd see a prince do that."

"N-no reason why you shouldn't," Chad managed between gasps, trying to steady his breathing. "I'm not that much- different from you. Had about as much say in who I was born to as you did."

Uma's fingers tightened in his hair. "Which is, to say, none."

"Exactly," Chad breathed. "My mother was a maid. King Aladdin and King Eugene were both thieves. It doesn't really matter where you came from, it matters what you do."

"And you believe that?" Uma asked, lessening her grip slightly.

"I would be a poor prince if I didn't."

"See?" Gil grinned. "_Fancy_."

"Yeah," Uma agreed. "Guess I can see why Mal kept you around."

"She also thinks I'm funny." Chad grinned, because he _missed_ Mal, missed her pouting and her ferocity and her charge to take control. "I am sorry though, that you three are stuck here. And-" He flushed. "Thank you, for that. Though it um- wasn't necessary."

Uma hummed. "I'll be the judge of that."

"_She's a good judge_," Gil whispered, and Chad didn't doubt Gil's belief in that.

-:-:-:-:-:-

Uma didn't leave when Gil finally drained the tub, helping the muscular teen pat Chad dry and slip him into a new pair of clothes that must have been Jay's, soft and little too big, done in familiar red and gold tones. Uma seemed to _pull_ the water from Gil's garments but he still changed into fresh clothes without leaving the room, seeming oblivious to their presence and Uma's appreciative stare. Much like the other VKs, Gil was underweight and muscular, though he seemed to sport significantly less scars. Chad wondered if that was because of Uma's protection.

"Bedtime!" Gil chanted as he tucked Chad back into the sheets. He unfolded one of Evie's quilts from the bottom of the bed, and Chad had to fight not to get melancholy, missing the fair princess with a might he couldn't express, missing _all_ of them and their thoughtfulness. He hoped that the separation was as painful for them as it was for him, though part of him worried that it wasn't, that he was more invested than they were, that they'd realized they could function well without him.

It was horrible. He hated it.

"You okay there, slick?" Uma asked this with a measured sort of detachment Jay had used once upon a time, when he didn't want his concern to be obvious so he hid it under a thirst for gossip or knowledge.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Chad muttered, letting his hands curl into the blankets. "I just miss them."

"I get it," Gil chirped, flopping next to him on the bed. "I'd miss Harry and Uma if they weren't here."

"Thanks, Gilly." Uma allowed a small grin to tug at her lips as she threaded a hand through his messy hair. "We'd miss you too. Now, go get something to eat."

"But Uma-"

"_Now_, Gil." She left no room for arguments. "You've been working all afternoon, get some food before you pass out."

"Okay, captain." He offered her a clumsy salute before leaving, giving Chad one last grin before he disappeared down the stairs.

"I thought you'd be more of a prat," Uma declared once it was the two of them. "But I guess Mal wouldn't put up with you if you weren't alright."

"I try to do what I can." Because that was all Chad could do. "I'm um- probably not going to stay awake much longer, but later – if it's okay with you – could I run some potential Ilse reformation policies by you? I've got a lot of programs in place for transitioning minors and petty criminals off of the Ilse, but I'd like some feedback to see if they're actually any good."

Uma blinked at him, like she hadn't been expecting this. "Yeah, I can do that. Gotta make sure you Auradon schmucks don't mess everything up."

"I'd appreciate it." Chad yawned, settling back against the pillows. "We need to do better."

"I think," Uma said as things began to get dark, her fingers carding through his hair. "-you already are."

* * *

-:-:-:-:-:-

* * *

Endnotes:

Introducing… _pirates! _Hooray ;D

So, you might be able to tell but like, my most favorite character in all of Descendants is Gil, the human embodiment of a Golden Retriever. That guy's the _best_.

I realize there's a spectacularly blurred line as to whether this constitutes as cheating or dub-con but Chad has… had a heck of a time, so getting to feel something after having _nothing_ for so long offers him a bit of comfort to ease his anxieties. Not that this was entirely Uma's intent, I'm sure.

Until next time


	3. Hooked on Poor Decisions

Chapter 3 – Hooked on Poor Decisions

EARLY UPDATE – Because we could all use a little bit of sunshine right now ^_^

* * *

-:-:-:-:-:-

* * *

"The goal of the testing is so that the Isle students will be assigned curriculum that actually _helps_ them, rather than shoving them into a one-size-fits-all education that won't actually be useful for their individual needs," Chad explained. "There'll be aptitude testing to see if any of them are candidates for trade schools or apprenticeships, but that will only happen after everyone completes basic core work."

"And what, exactly, _is_ this basic core work?" Uma asked, jotting down notes in the glittery blue notebook Gil had found for her.

"Reading and mathematics, for starters," Chad said. "Things we know they'll need. Then culture and etiquette, so they can have an understanding of how people off the Isle think. What's to be expected out here. Granted, I intend for each group of students to have an Auradon representative to help them with the transition, clear up any problems as they arise, the tricky part is getting them to actually turn to their representatives for help."

"Yeah," Uma scoffed. "These kids are used to relying on themselves to survive; putting their fate in someone else's hands isn't something that comes easily."

"Which was my fear," Chad sighed. "I thought about training the representatives to be more proactive, but I don't want to scare the clients – the kids – off. There's got to be a balance between freedom and security, I just don't know what it is yet."

"The best thing you could do is maybe lead by example," Uma mused. "Train some of the older Isle kids to be 'representatives' give them power and a voice. Giving the younger kids a familiar face might make them comfortable enough to actually reach out if they're having issues." She twisted one of her braids between her fingers. "You can mix in some Auradon people with the Isle representatives to make sure everything goes smoothly, if that'll help your delicate sensibilities."

"It would." Chad grinned. "Thanks, Uma. That's a great idea. Do you have any suggestions for prospective Ilse representative candidates?"

"I've got a few," Uma hummed, jotting down a list of names.

"You guys talk so fancy," Gil mused, his head flopped against Chad's thighs. He was taking a break from writing the alphabet over and over again, and seemed content to let Chad's fingers twitch in his thick hair, like a sort of sleepy cat. "I can _feel_ the world changing. You guys are cool."

"Thanks, Gil." The other teen liked it when Chad exercised basic manners with him, so Chad made sure to do it more often, even if he would have done it before.

"Damn right, we are," Uma drawled, seeming oblivious to the fact that she'd included Chad in that deduction. "Now, about that adoption stuff-"

"Right," Chad nodded. "We already have specific requirements in place for couples looking to adopt orphans in Auradon, but I wanted to check with you to see if there were any extra considerations we should add for those wishing to adopt any Isle refugees."

"I still find it suspicious that they'd _want_ an Isle kid," Uma replied honestly, perhaps disregarding the fact that she was an Isle kid herself. "What, they trying to calm their guilt?"

"Maybe," Chad shrugged. "You'd be surprised at the number of people who disagreed with the Isle once they realized kids were trapped there. A lot of them want to do their part, and adoption is just an added benefit." He swallowed, watching the way Uma's grip tightened around her pencil. "Not everyone can get pregnant, but a lot want to have kids. This way both sides can benefit, but I don't want to implement anything until I'm sure the kids are as protected as they can be."

"Bleeding heart," Uma muttered, scrawling random doodles at the top of her paper. "You are disgustingly thoughtful."

"Or I at least seem that way," Chad mused, because he knew better than most how easy it was to talk the talk while committing to nothing.

Uma aimed a smile at him that was close to appreciative. "You're trickier than you seem, Mr. Charming."

"It's James, actually," Chad replied, feeling something close to ease.

Gil let out a pleased hum. "Mr. Charming James," he drawled. "I like it."

-:-:-:-:-:-

The days passed in a comfortable sort of familiarity. Chad was still trapped in a way, but at least he had _company_, company that seemed to like him and frequently talked to him.

Gil was, without question, Chad's favorite, because Gil never left him alone. He never made Chad feel awkward for carrying out basic necessities, like needing to use the restroom, because no catheter meant several trips to the bathroom a day with Gil helping him. Still, the blond was always cheerful and never acted like it was a big deal that Chad couldn't even guide himself out of his own underwear, so that was a plus. Gil was the one who took care of feeding Chad the most, who helped him get cleaned and changed and Chad felt guilty, because he shouldn't _have_ to, but Gil always seemed pleased to be of use.

Chad tried to repay the blond with reading and writing lessons, and Gil was getting progressively better, to the point where Chad had him reading aloud from a book each night before bed to get used to connecting the words to their sounds.

At first, Chad felt bad for monopolizing Gil's time, but then he got the feeling that the blond enjoyed being with Chad because Chad… didn't turn him away. It wasn't something Chad had considered an option, at least not until the day Gil accidentally spilled the food tray at the door to Chad's bedroom, seeming to trip over his own feet.

"Sorry. _Sorry_," Gil said, rushing to clean up the mess. "I'll just- I'll get this clean and then I'll banish myself, it's okay, you don't have to do it."

"_Gil_," Chad said, feeling even more helpless than usual. "Gil, it's okay, it was an accident. You don't… you don't have to leave unless you want to."

Gil blinked up at him with wide, hopeful eyes. "…really?" he asked. "I can stay? I can-?" He cut himself off as he went back to cleaning. "I'll leave if you change your mind though, I promise."

"I won't change my mind," Chad assured, and true enough, he had stuck to his word.

He asked Uma about it during the rare moments where she sent Gil outside to 'get some fresh air' or 'to play with Harry', because apparently the first mate was a fickle thing that wouldn't _demand_ Gil's presence no matter how much he actually wanted it.

"Power move," Uma explained when Chad brought it up. "One of the key elements to surviving the Isle is maintaining appearances. Gil's a sweetheart, but he doesn't think before he talks a lot of times. As Captain, I can't let that slide."

Even if the infraction was relatively harmless.

"So you sent him away?" Chad asked, trying to get a better idea of the inner-workings of Uma's crew.

The captain hummed. "It was better than beating him."

"It was," Chad agreed, and she did not need his validation, but she seemed grateful to receive it nonetheless.

Gil was the one that mostly kept Chad company, but Uma always joined them later in the day – to review Gil's school progress and help Chad finalize the Isle relief programs, acting as his hands and writing it all out. She was there until bath time, and then _both_ of them would strip Chad down, which had been embarrassing at first, but Gil always had a new story to share to distract Chad from his nakedness, and Uma was happy to chime in with whatever she and Harry had discovered that day.

After the first week, Gil started sleeping in Chad's bed too. Ostensively, it was so he could be there in case Chad needed him, but Uma was the one who later told Chad that Gil sometimes had nightmares, and he was worried Chad might have them too. Worried that no one would be there for him if he did.

It was a sweet and altogether _Gil_ like move, which made the fondness Chad held for the blond swell even greater. He knew the pirates likely loathed being kept in captivity, but all the same, Chad was grateful that they were there. It made his stay easier.

And then, of course, things changed.

-:-:-:-:-:-

Chad fluttered to awareness with the distant curl of pressure against his lip, which was not an altogether foreign sensation. He often woke to Gil running a hand through his hair, or tracing the curve of his cheekbone, or feeling carefully at Chad's shoulders, and Chad didn't begrudge this, because Gil was a forever tactile creature whose attentions were entirely innocent.

So Chad didn't immediately think much of it, until he registered the heavy arm – _Gil's_ heavy arm – curled around his waist, the blond's head tucked against his chest. Meaning that someone _else_ was feeling at his lips.

When Chad cracked his eyes open, it was to be greeted with the elusive third pirate, Harry Hook, the first mate perched on the edge of the bed, his hair short and wild, eyes painfully blue and rimmed with smears of makeup while he glared at Chad's lips.

Upon seeing that Chad was awake, he didn't look so much like he was considering an apology, or even bashful. Instead, he moved his explorations to Chad's jaw, tracing under it with calloused, scarred fingers.

"…You're not _that_ good looking," he growled, letting his fingers stray near Chad's pulse.

"Neither are you, person I have just met," Chad said, careful to keep his voice low so as not to wake Gil.

Harry did not seem to share this concern, puffing up with offence at Chad's statement. "I'll have ye know, I'm a _catch_, blondie," he drawled, tracing a hand down the side of Chad's face. "At least compared to you. I can move all my limbs and everything."

It was a taunt, but an empty one. Or a probing one, Harry trying to get a feel of the land. "That is true," Chad hummed, leaning into the contact he could barely feel. "And a distinct triumph on your part."

Harry considered him for a moment, then pulled his lips back in a snarl. "You're not going to win me over with your pretty words, _princey_," he snapped. "Ye may have gotten Gilly and the captain, but I'm on to ye."

"I'm in no position to do anything to you, Mr. Hook," Chad said quietly. "I promise, I hold nothing but respect for Gil and Captain Uma-"

"_Sure,_ ye do," Harry drawled, tilting their foreheads together so Chad could get an up-close look at Harry's furious gaze. "And you're teaching Gilly to read out of the kindness of your heart."

"You might not have noticed," Chad said, unable to keep himself from falling into the sarcastic deadpan that had protected him for so long. "But my schedule's a bit open. Helping Gil helps _both_ of us, because it gives me something to do, but also, it's the right thing to do-"

"And you're all about that?" Harry challenged, so very close to Chad. "Doing the right thing?"

"That's sort of why I had to go into hiding, so yes," Chad said, trying not to feel bitter and likely failing.

Harry opened his mouth to snarl out another response, but then there was movement by the door.

"Having fun, Hook?" Uma asked, arms folded across her chest in an unimpressed slant. "I already told you he's the real deal."

"The real deal doesn't exist, captain," Harry said, pulling away from Chad with a light flush on his cheeks, likely attributed to anger, though Chad's dumb subconscious thought it might be embarrassment. "He's just playing the long con."

Uma rolled her eyes. "You're paranoid, Hook. He has to rely on us for _everything_, of course he's nice."

"That's not the only reason why," Chad objected, and then Gil was stirring awake, rubbing away sleep from his eyes in the most adorable way possible.

"Hm… Harry?" Gil said, blinking his eyes open. "Oh, did you meet Mr. Prince?"

"It's Chad, Gil," Chad reminded him softly.

Harry's scowl deepened. "Yes, I met _Mr. Prince_."

"And he's jealous of him," Uma said, catching Chad off guard and earning a furious sputter from Harry.

But also, he didn't object so…

Okay then.

"_Aw_, you don't need to be, Harry," Gil soothed, offering a wide grin. "Chad would totally like you too if you let him. He's really nice like that."

"I don't _do_ nice," Harry snarled, sliding off the bed and walking out of the room with a flare of his red coat.

Uma watched the exchange with an amused look, openly laughing when Harry had retreated back down the stairs.

"Forgive my first mate," she said eventually. "He's usually much more charming, but being in a new environment is hard for him."

"That's fair," Chad said, giving his most supportive smile.

Uma seemed to appreciate it. "Yeah, I figured you'd say that."

So it was probably alright then.

-:-:-:-:-:-

Now that Harry had met Chad, there was nothing stopping the first mate from visiting the room, which he did with no particular regularity. Sometimes he would drop in and flop down on the couch, watching Chad coach Gil through his lessons. Sometimes he would kneel by Uma's feet while she worked at the desk, letting his head rest against her thigh while her fingers carded through his hair. It was a sweet picture, but anytime he caught Chad looking at them, Harry would glare until Chad looked away, Gil giving the prince a few consolatory pats on the arm.

Harry wasn't there for meals, and he would leave as soon as bath time started, declaring boredom and disinterest. It worked for Chad, who didn't really want Harry to see him in such a vulnerable state. He understood _why_ the first mate acted the way he did, just- sometimes it was hard.

When Chad had asked Uma what he could do to get on the first mate's good side, she'd merely laughed.

"You wanna try being a little less cute and charming and smart? Cuz that's the only way he's going to lay off you," she chuckled, running a hand through Chad's hair. "If it's any consolation though, he already likes you, he just being a shit about admitting it."

"Harry likes whatever Uma likes," Gil added sagely. "And she likes you, so you're good."

"Even if Harry makes that seem like it's not the case," Uma said. "He's intimidated because you're a _prince_."

"He's always liked princes," Gil said, and then both of them refused to elaborate on that, sharing a knowing look with each other born from years of inside jokes and knowledge.

So bottom line, Harry _did_ like Chad he just… didn't show it. And that was fine, Chad guessed, because at least he didn't have to be on guard all the time. Chad trusted Gil and Uma, and if they both thought Harry liked him…

Well, they were probably right.

So Chad should work on accepting that truth for himself.

-:-:-:-:-:-

Bath time remained an interesting ritual. Regardless of whether Chad asked for it or not, Uma deemed it fit to 'reward' him for the work he'd done that day, whether it was helping Gil learn a new task or besting Harry in a match of verbal wits. They'd gotten to the point where they no longer used the bubble bath so she could watch the effect her magic had on him, which would have been humiliating were Chad a person with pride, but the longer their 'safety' retreat went on the lower his personal expectations became, so he gave up fighting it.

The longer it went on the better Uma got at teasing him, until she could hold him mercilessly at the edge of release for minutes on end, finding new ways to increase his pleasure without letting him drop from it, until Chad was a hopeless, begging mess.

That night wasn't any different than the one before, Uma taking extra care to focus on the water swirling against his chest until Chad arched into it, mouth heaving desperate gasps as his core _pulsed_, aching from the need to release and knowing it was far from coming.

"Uma," he groaned, hips jutting into the glowing swirl of her water. "Uma, please, I um- I need-"

"To wait," she soothed, carding a hand through his hair. "You're doing such a good job, your highness."

"J-just Chad, please, and-" He whimpered at a particularly hard thrust that made his body ripple with pleasure. "Uma, _please_."

"It's okay, Chad." She wasn't condescending, which Chad still expected at this point, despite the fact she didn't ever give it to him. "We're almost there; I just need you to hold out a few minutes longer."

"_Uma_," he croaked. "I can't- I don't think-"

"You can," she said, sounding sure. "You can and you will, for me. For us."

"Yeah," Gil sighed, dreamy as always as he rested against the edge of the tub. "You're so pretty, Chad."

Chad flushed. "_Gil_."

"Hey now," Uma's voice got a little sharp, the water twisting _hard _against his pectorals until his body spasmed in the confines of the tub. "It's _my name_ you're supposed to be saying, Chad. Maybe I should start the timer over."

"N-no, Uma-" There was panic but delight swirling in his gut, overwhelming conflictions that made him even hotter. He didn't know if he could last that long, wondered if he'd pass out if she started over, and what the punishment would be for such a thing. "Uma, please-"

"That's it," she soothed. "Just like that."

"Fucking _hell_." The drawl came from the doorway, and neither Gil nor Uma seemed surprised to see Harry's scowling visage, the first mate's gaze fixed to Chad's trembling form. "Is this what you do every night?"

"Ship up or ship _out_, Harry," Uma ordered with a tone that wasn't to be questioned. "We're pleasuring his highness right now. You can have your turn later."

"I don't know why ye bother with this," Harry declared, though a fine blush seemed to be dusting his pale cheeks, his focus settled between Chad's legs before scowling at Uma again. "He doesn't need that much pampering."

"Hear that, Chad?" Uma's voice was silky smooth when she twisted her fingers in his hair. "Harry doesn't think you deserve your reward."

"He's n-not wrong," Chad gasped, eyes falling shut when the water seemed to push his thighs wider, putting him on open display.

"Oh?" Uma said, finger twitching in lazy circles that were mimicked by the water. "You think so?"

"I um- haven't done much to warrant your- a-attention." She was still moving the water, though not as furiously now, making it easier for Chad to think. "If I'd handled the situation in my kingdom better, you wouldn't be here in the first place. You could be-" He swallowed roughly. "Free."

"Free," Harry echoed, tracing the edge of the tub with his fingers as he brought himself closer to Chad. "You want _me_ to be free?"

"'Course I do," Chad huffed. "I want all the Isle kids to be free."

"Ye don't know what you're asking for," Harry snapped. "What we're capable of."

"Well, until you commit an _actual_ crime, I do k-know what you deserve," Chad murmured, shivering at the gentle caresses and squeezes given to him by the water. "And that's the same fair shot as everyone else."

"Fucking _hell_," Harry muttered again. "You're fucking stupid, that's what you are."

"They say monarchy requires a certain amount of stupidity, so-" Chad gasped, toes curling at a furious _flick_ of the water.

"To hell with it," Harry growled, and then he was pulling off his coat, kicking his boots and pants off until he was down to his shirt and underwear – and it was _weird_, to see Harry in something as benign as _boxers_ that Chad almost didn't realize what was happening until the first mate was climbing into the tub. "Fucking _prince_," he muttered, pulling Chad _forward_ until he was positioned in his lap, foreheads slumping together and Harry's hands firm on his hips. "Alright, Uma," he murmured. "Let him have it."

"Should I?" Uma teased, even though the water was picking up again, making Chad's eyes fall shut at the delicious tendrils of warmth that shot up his body. "I said he deserves a reward, Harry. I'm not sure if you do."

"Been pretty well behaved here, haven't I?" Harry's accent was intoxicating, making Chad flush harder as he growled into the prince's ear. "I want to see him fall apart. I want to _feel_ it ripple through his body."

"It's so good," Gil mused, eyes half-lidded and lustful. "He gets all flushed and shaky. Uma doesn't stop until he's panting and letting out this little-" He released a small coo that made Chad flush, because he did _not_ sound like that. "It's pretty great. You've missed out."

"Well, I'm not gonna miss out _anymore_," Harry pledged, and Chad had the feeling that was a hundred percent true, that this was his new normal and he didn't care, not when he was being _held_ by someone again, even if that person wasn't Ben or Jay or any of the others. It was Harry and that was wrong but Chad just- he needed, _something_, and Harry was giving it to him, watching him with heavy eyes as Chad got more and more worked up, the distance between them negligible.

"There you go," Uma soothed. "Think you're ready, Chad? Think you can say Harry's name for me?"

"Are you s-sure?" Chad asked. He really didn't want to start the timer over. "I- I can, just-"

"Normally I'd be upset with someone questioning my orders," Uma drawled. "But you just want to make sure you do the right thing, don't you, baby?"

Chad flushed. "Y-yeah."

"Then say Harry's name," she ordered. "Give him a taste of what he's been missing."

"O-okay, I-" he gasped. "H-harry. Harry. I-" Everything was coming hotter and faster and he was barreling towards the edge, he could _feel_ it. "Harry. Harry I'm gonna- Harry-"

"That's it," the first mate murmured, rubbing circles on Chad's hips, his back. "That's it, pretty boy, come just for me."

"Us," Gil said. "For _us_."

And that was enough-

"_Harry!_" Chad cried, collapsing against the first mate as he came undone. He buried his head in his shoulder so he wouldn't see how much it- affected him, couldn't watch the mess he made because before had been good but this was better, so much better and it was _Harry_, who hated him and everything he stood for. _Fuck_.

Maybe this was some sort of manifestation of Chad's self-loathing, like an internal punishment of some kind. He didn't know.

"Hey now," Harry's voice was soft and soothing and everything Harry _wasn't_, his hand gentle on Chad's cheek as he pulled the prince back to look at him. "Eyes on me, lovely. I want to see you fall apart."

"Um-" It was work to keep his eyes open, even as he felt Uma tease the last of the aftershocks away, his mouth falling open with small _'ohs_' that gasped for breath. "H-Harry."

"_Fuck_," Harry breathed, tilting their foreheads together again in a way that seemed too intimate. "You're a real piece of work."

"You liked that," Uma mused. It wasn't even a question, just an observation she seemed thrilled by. "You prefer to be held, baby?"

"B-better than being a spectacle," Chad muttered, trying to get his breaths to even out.

Uma hummed. "I'll keep that in mind."

"But-" Gil was frowning. "I thought you _liked_ us watching you."

Chad flushed, and this startled a laugh from Harry. "Seems he did, it's just-" the first mate let his voice fall into a seductive _purr_. "He appreciates an upgrade when he sees one."

"What can I say, the man has taste." Uma was preening, staring at the two of them with a level of fondness Chad knew he hadn't earned. "Something to think about for tomorrow."

Chad groaned quietly. "You are trying to kill me."

"If sex can kill you, that's how I want to die," Gil said solemnly, and it was so earnest that Chad couldn't help but laugh.

Uma rolled her eyes. "You're all idiots," she declared. "Now go get cleaned up, Hook. Gil and I can get his highness dry."

Harry looked like he was going to object. "But-"

"You already got your reward," Uma said. "Now it's time for _ours_."

"This is the best safehouse ever," Gil declared.

Chad wasn't sure he could disagree.

-:-:-:-:-:-

Things changed, after that, but it was a good change.

Something about Harry giving Chad a chance finally broke the dam in their social interactions, to the point where they'd still have their petty arguments, but they were delivered with a smile. Harry no longer left them at night, often joining Chad in the bathtub as Uma rewarded the prince, trading off with Gil every once and a while and doing his best to murmur soft praises about how pretty they were, how nice they looked. Chad would wake up with Harry's fingers carding through his curls because the three of them slept in his bed now, and if one of them started to wake up with nightmares the other three were quick to comfort them, even if it was Harry, who was so very proud.

At night, he trusted them to take care of him, and Chad knew that was something not to be taken for granted. He explained this much when Uma questioned him about it, and there was no mistaking the approval in the captain's eyes, the silent pride, because Chad _understood_.

Sometimes, it was Chad who had the nightmares.

"No, no, no-" he'd chant, waking up with tears in his eyes and a body that was so very heavy, and then he'd sob harder, because it wasn't a dream. "No. _No_."

"…Chad?" Gil would grumble against his back, nuzzling the prince's shoulder.

"What's wrong, baby?" Uma would say, effortlessly sharing the pet name she reserved for Gil and Harry, and Chad knew that was a big deal but he couldn't focus on it because he couldn't stop crying.

"I can't- I can't move," Chad whispered, _stupid_, because he hadn't been able to move in _months_. How long had it been? Four months? Five? He'd definitely missed Ben's coronation, assuming that had stayed on schedule.

_Stupid_, of course it had. They wouldn't have postponed it just for _Chad_.

He gasped hard through his mouth just as Harry sat up from behind Uma, curling around their heads so he could get a better look at Chad.

"I can't- I'm never gonna-" Chad sobbed again. "I'll always be useless. He'll always _win_."

"No, he won't," Uma said, gripping onto Chad's hands and making him look at her. The captain already knew all about Chad's grandfather, they all did. One of the first positive things Harry had ever said to Chad was a promise to '_hook_' the Duke should he ever meet him. "He's already lost, blondie. You're safe, you're here with us, slumming it with Isle kids-"

"N-not slumming," Chad gasped, because even in his own despair, he needed to ensure Uma knew that. "Never slumming. You're all _amazing_."

"Flatterer," Uma said, but she was smiling and Harry was smiling and Gil squeezed him closer. "…you're not going to be like this forever, okay? I'll promise you that much."

"And Captain don't break her promises," Harry drawled, offering Chad a flash of his teeth.

"Come on," Uma said after a moment, wiping tears from Chad's face. "I think we could all use a bath."

"_Uma_," Chad whined, feeling embarrassed.

"Not like that," she chided, tapping his cheek lightly. "You deserve to _feel_ something right now, so that's what we're going to do."

It was a tight fit for all of them, but Uma was insistent. They didn't change out of their sleep clothes either, merely cuddling together within the confines of the tub while Uma made the water flare to life, and Chad-

He could feel them, holding him close. It was more than he'd gotten in a long time, just to be _held_-

He sobbed, but Harry was there for him, rocking him against his chest while Gil pressed kisses against his shoulder and maybe they were blurring lines here, maybe Chad shouldn't indulge, but Chad had been away from the others for so very long. He needed the comfort desperately, he needed more than their spare clothes or Evie's quilt or Carlos' thrown-together clock could give him. He needed more than Mal's old sketchbook and Doug's favorite novels and the few newspaper clippings Uma was able to get of Ben.

Chad had always, at his heart, been a greedy creature. It was likely how he was able to love so many people, how he was able to _ache_ for Ben with a desperation he could not admit but also long for Doug and Mal and Evie, for Jay and Carlos because Chad knew, distantly, that they liked him. They had to. _They had to_.

He wondered how they would feel about this, but he tried not to dwell on that. In the end, Chad's immediate need was survival, and this was the best he could do.

Still, he yearned for Ben, hoped for his dumb face and pretty eyes and goofy smile. They hadn't even gotten to officially _date_ for that long.

Supposedly, Ben loved him.

Chad hoped that held through until his return. _If_ he returned.

He had to.

-:-:-:-:-:-

"Tell me about them," Uma said later when they were curled back in bed, Harry against Chad's back this time, Gil curled behind Uma.

It was always Chad and Uma in the middle. The few times he had worked up the courage to ask _why_, he hadn't really gotten an answer, though Gil had told him once it was because the most important things needed to be protected.

The answer left Chad's cheeks heated in a blush, and then he'd tried to explain that Gil was important _too_, that they all were, but Gil had just sort of laughed him off, even if he had given Chad a hug he couldn't feel.

"What?" Chad asked, blinking through his confusion.

"Tell me about your girlfriends," she explained. "Your boyfriends. You obviously miss them."

"…I do," Chad admitted, reluctant even though his longing had apparently been clear. "I… they're amazing, each in their own way."

"Yeah?" Harry hummed, his hand slipping under Chad's shirt to splay against his stomach.

Chad could only _just_ feel it, and while he should probably shirk away from the contact, part of him found it grounding.

"Tell us," Uma said. "Go in order, if you need a guideline."

"Okay," Chad said. "Well um… it started with Ben first."

"King Ben?" Gil asked, crawling up so his head poked just above Uma's, his words confirming that Chad had missed the coronation that had started this after all.

"Yeah," Chad said. "Only he was just… Ben. We um- were childhood friends, I guess. And he was always so… _disgustingly_ nice. Like, it was totally unfair." This made the pirates laugh. "I'm serious, no one should be that painfully genuine, but he always was. Like, I wasn't the smartest kid-"

"I doubt that," Harry said, stroking small circles against Chad's abdomen.

"…I _pretended_ not to be the smartest kid," Chad amended, earning a brilliant smirk from Uma. "But um… he didn't care. Not about that. He still liked me and still wanted to hang out with me, even though I pretended to be a tool. And I had to, you know, because otherwise I would vomit out how much I loved and cared for him and I thought there was _no _way he could feel the same about me-"

"Clearly you were wrong about that," Uma said, caressing Chad's face.

"Yeah," Chad admitted with a flush. "Fortunately, I was."

After that, it became easier to talk about the others. He talked about Ben's goofy smiles and Doug's need to read _everything_, his secret stubborn streak and his subtle sexiness that made Chad _melt_. He talked about Carlos' love for chocolate (which they all supported) and his ingenuity, his agility and the nimble flex of his body that made Chad trail off with a blush. He talked about Jay and Mal's viciousness, and while Chad knew Uma and Harry didn't necessarily like the two VKs, they did seem to appreciate this, or at least, appreciate _Chad's_ appreciation for this.

"He's so dumb sometimes," Chad giggled, thinking about Jay. "He could be so petty one moment and so sweet the next. Like, he flirted with me for _months_ before I realized he actually liked me. I just thought he wanted sex, but he was such an awkward banana-"

"An _awkward banana_," Harry sputtered against Chad's shoulder, choking on a laugh.

"He is! Sometimes," Chad laughed. "Mal says he gets that way about stuff he really cares about. Like Evie and Carlos and… you know."

"_You_?" Uma offered with a quirk of her brow.

It made Chad feel warm. "…yeah."

He talked about Mal's art and her protective nature, how she'd gotten so angry on his behalf, and that was before he knew she'd liked him.

"I thought she was going to start setting stuff on fire," Chad admitted. "And it was weird, because it was for _me_. And granted like, I thought it was because I was her ally, but…"

"But Mal seems to have the same weakness for princes that Harry does," Uma noted, making Harry sputter all over again, though this was a protest.

"What's Evie like?" Gil asked, unable to contain himself. "She was locked away for so long, none of us got to know her."

"Evie is… grace personified," Chad settled on. "She's clever and calculated and strategic and lovely. And um… brave, though they all are. Like um- you all are…" He trailed off with a flush.

"We know, blondie," Uma said, petting a hand through Chad's curls. "We know you like us too."

"Also, we like you," Gil added. "Since you don't seem to be good at picking that up."

"Yeah," Uma laughed. "I am sensing a running theme."

"To be _fair_," Chad sputtered. "My persona was designed to _not_ be likeable."

"It's not a very good persona if you're still charming as hell, blondie," Uma drawled, poking the tip of his nose to drive this point home. "You can act like a tool as much as you want, but if your actions are noble, _that's_ what an Isle kid's going to care about." She shifted forward, until they were sharing the same space, and Chad felt so very cared for. "No wonder Mal snatched you up, she'd be stupid not to."

"I-" Chad flushed. He didn't know what to say to that. "I would have still helped her, even if we weren't dating."

"Yeah, but now she gets the benefit of kissing you," Gil pointed out. "So really, she made the best choice."

"_Guys_," Chad whined, feeling like he was flushing down to his toes.

Harry chuckled against his neck. "This is it, crew, let's break him apart with _compliments_."

"I like that plan," Gil declared, and then Chad spent the rest of that evening as a horrible mushy puddle, because they kept being so _nice_ and he didn't really deserve it at all.

As though she sensed this, Uma tapped his nose again. "We don't give dues that aren't warranted," she chided, just as he was falling asleep.

"Stupid prince," Harry whispered, but he seemed fond.

It was a brilliant, but sort of wonderful thing.

-:-:-:-:-:-

Chad thought that would be the end of it, and yet again, he was proven wrong.

The pirates wanted to hear _all_ about his partners, and at first Chad thought they were probing for weaknesses, but then he realized they were legitimately curious. So he'd tell them about their quirks and hobbies and how they enjoyed spending time together, told them about their dates and, unfortunately, their _practice dates_ that had started it all.

"Practice date?" Gil had echoed, staring at Chad in confusion. "What's a practice date?"

"Screw that," Harry grumbled. "What the fuck is a _date?_"

And then Chad had to go through the embarrassing process of explaining both. It ended with Uma laughing at him and Harry growling, for whatever reason, and Gil…

Well, he just blushed, falling into an uncharacteristic bashfulness.

"Um… Captain? Harry?" he asked, pressing his fingers together nervously. "Do you- could _we_ go on a practice date?"

Chad wanted to tell them they could just go on a regular date, but then both the first mate and his captain were wearing matching looks of victory, grinning like they'd just been granted the greatest treasure in all the land.

"Sure, Gilly," Uma said, running a hand through his loose curls as he perked up. "We can do that."

"And princey here will even tell us how," Harry said, seemingly cool, but the blush spreading across the bridge of his nose sort of gave him away.

"Um…" Chad startled under the sudden weight of their expectant stares, but he already knew what the answer would be. They'd already helped him so much, if he could return the favor, however little, he'd be happy to do so. "Of course."

The smiles it earned him made him _feel_ again, a fleeting warmth, but still present, and he held onto that.

-:-:-:-:-:-

Practice dating earned Chad a trip downstairs, into the living room/breakfast area of their hideout. Gil carried him, settled him on the couch with Evie's quilt so Chad could direct them, talking them through preparing dinner with the ingredients they had on hand, because while the pirates had learned to do a lot with the little they were given, they weren't used to modern appliances and fresh produce and basic decencies that they should have always had access to.

It made Chad's heart hurt, but he pushed past that because if there was one thing they hated, it was pity. Throughout the course of coaching them through a basic dinner, Chad realized that while the three of them were likely a couple (and how dumb was it that it had taken him _this long_ to figure that out), they hadn't been allowed that much time to just… enjoy each other's company.

They could do that now, and Chad was happy to help with that, even if he got kind of embarrassed when they started making out with each other.

At first he averted his gaze, but Uma had taken offense to that, to the point where Gil had dragged Chad _between_ them while they traded kisses so he could have a front row seat, leaving Chad permanently embarrassed and just a little bit warm.

"Anything?" Harry would whisper against his neck after he leaned over to kiss Gil.

It took Chad a few moments to realize what he was referring to, the first mate's gaze dropping pointedly below Chad's waist.

"Sorry," Chad flushed, not sure what he was apologizing for. "If um- if it was business as usual, I'd probably- I mean-"

"It's okay," Uma said with a laugh, and then she was kissing Harry again.

It wasn't a taunt, Chad knew. This was a celebration of what they had. And he had something like it, he _did_, he just hadn't seen head or tails of it in five months, and that _ached_.

So he took his comforts from the little things, because it was all he had. It wasn't like _he_ was kissing them.

This was- this was okay.

It had to be okay.

-:-:-:-:-:-

"You know," Uma said out of the blue one day, grinning fondly at Harry's concentrated effort to paint Chad's nails. "I might be able to heal you."

Chad paused, though on a distant level he had expected something like this to happen eventually.

Actually, he hadn't, because he'd never expected Uma to like him that much, but the practical part of him that prepared for every situation had considered this possibility and mapped out the potential outcomes, and very few of them were good.

"Maybe," Chad said, because he wasn't one to deny Uma's prowess. She'd only been getting better. "And while I'm grateful for your consideration-"

"You're turning me down?" Uma was already frowning, though it seemed to mostly stem from confusion. "I haven't even offered yet."

"It might be better if you didn't," Chad answered honestly, trying to ignore the critical look Harry was giving him, the pirate's sharp gaze locked on Chad's face instead of his hands.

"Oh?" She was getting fighty now, as she tended to when Chad had already thought three steps ahead of her but forgot to share with the rest of the class. "Why so, your _highness?_"

Yes, there was the anger. "When Ben set up this safehouse – it was well meaning, but maybe not the best conceptually." Like most things Ben did. "Mostly because while it keeps us all safe, it does nothing to protect you three from any liabilities."

"You think something's going to go wrong?" Uma deduced in less than a second, sharp and forever calculating like it was second nature, and it probably was. "You think I'm gonna hurt you?"

"I think it's safer to ere on the side of caution," Chad replied. "I don't doubt your abilities, Uma, but if something goes wrong, there's nothing here to protect you. Even if I explained what happened, they could still hold it against you-"

"Because I'm Isle trash?" Uma pressed, as though Chad had _ever_ thought that.

"Because Ben – the idiot – didn't give you any legal standing." Chad fought to keep his tone even because he respected Uma as an individual, wanted to give her the consideration she was due. "I don't want you to risk giving ammunition to prejudiced bigots screaming for you guys to go back to the Isle, not for me."

"Not for your _mobility_," Uma snapped. "No, that's not what this is about, is it? I think you're terrified of what would happen if it _did_ work, because then you'd be out of excuses, wouldn't you?" she snarled, pulling away from the bed in a rage. "Wouldn't have anything to hide the fact that you like us despite _Mal_ and the others-"

"Uma, I _do_ like you, that's not a secret-"

"You know what I meant," she murmured, voice low and cool and wrecking Chad in easy movements. "You know what I meant but you won't say it, you royal _coward_."

With that she left them, her braids swinging in a furious movement as she stomped out of the room. To Harry's credit, he only waited long enough to recap the polish before scrambling after her, leaving Chad all on his lonesome again.

It was nothing he was not used to.

Still, somehow it burned.

* * *

-:-:-:-:-:-

* * *

Endnotes:

Hey guys, with things being as crazy as they are, I thought I'd try for an early update to brighten things up. Stay safe, stay positive, and know that as stressful as things may seem, we still have each other :)

Is now the best time to bond over Descendants? Why not? I finally convinced my friends to watch it, to wonderful results ^_^

Thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter! As always, I greatly appreciate the feedback :D

The next chapter will still be posted on Sunday, so no worries there :)

Story notes:

Even Harry Hook cannot withstand the might of Chad. Because I said so!

Until next time :)


	4. Closing a Door, Opening a Window

Chapter 4 – Closing a Door, Opening a Window

* * *

-:-:-:-:-:-

* * *

That night in the bathroom was particularly tense. Chad hadn't expected Uma or Harry to join them – hadn't really expected a bath _at all_ but Gil was a stickler for schedules once they were established, the clearly defined definition of time something he could commit to without getting lost. After an obligatory objection, Chad didn't try to talk him down, decided to allow the blond this small comfort, however worthless it may be.

Normally, it was easy to pull Gil into a conversation, a few probes here and there and the other teen was eager to set off, recounting some tale about Uma or Harry or his Uncle LeFou (never his father, or his brothers, or any of the other pirates in his crew). Tonight, Gil was too reluctant, mind clearly elsewhere, so Chad gave up, settling back in silence as Gil carefully washed his body.

They were maybe halfway through the process when Uma appeared in the doorway.

"Uma," Chad sighed, uncertainty growing in his stomach. He didn't know if she wanted to commit to their usual antics or if she was going to state her argument once more, and he wasn't sure which of those two options were worse.

"Your highness," she said, tone clipped. "I think Harry deserves a treat."

Belatedly, Chad realized her first mate was hovering in the doorway, not quite committing to full entry, like he was getting a feel of the room.

Chad didn't know what to say. This didn't feel like much of a treat at all, it didn't feel like anything. But they'd already helped him so much, and there was a slight chance that this would be all Chad was ever good for, going forward.

"Okay," he said eventually, tone rough. "I um… agree."

"For once," Uma murmured, rolling her eyes, but she motioned Harry into the room with a lazy wave of her hand. Instead of taking her usual position standing over them, she settled down next to Gil's crouched form, leaning into his side. "Harry, strip."

"Captain?" The first mate paused, because he was already stepping out of his pants, the rest of his extraneous clothing likely abandoned in the bedroom.

"You heard me." Her voice was hard, relentless. "Finish stripping."

Chad blushed. "Uma, if he's not comfortable-"

"Ye think I'm not comfortable in my own skin?" Harry growled, shrugging out of his shirt in rough movements. Much like the others, Harry was littered with scars, a twist of his torso revealing a back full of old lash marks. Like before, Chad steadily ignored them, keeping his focus on Harry's face. He was more than his scars - they all were.

Harry's entire expression was a challenge, eyes locked on Chad's as he stepped out of his boxers. He was pale and lovely in a way Chad would never be, and it was almost fortunate that the poison dulled everything because there was no way his body wouldn't react to _that_.

"Well?" Harry drawled, cocking his head to the side. "Like what ye see?"

"I do," Chad said honestly, heard Gil hum in agreement. "You're very handsome, Harry."

The candor seemed to catch the first mate off guard, but he bullied through it. "'Course, I am," he scoffed. "Only the best for his highness."

"Just Chad," he reminded them, because even if they were upset with him, they needed to know they were still friends, as much as they could be with someone like Chad.

"Sure, _Chad_." Harry didn't let his confidence wane as he slid into the warm waters, easily placing his hands on Chad's hips like they belonged there, pulling the prince into his lap. They were both naked even though Chad couldn't feel it, couldn't do much besides let his arms wrap around Harry's shoulders where the first mate guided them, foreheads tilted together in a perfect picture of intimacy.

"Thought we'd mix things up a bit," Uma said, making Chad's heart stutter.

"Uma-"

"Don't worry, your highness," she continued, bypassing his protest. "You'll like it."

It was all the warning he had before a furious heat built between his legs, startling a gasp out of him that Harry mimicked- his mouth falling open with a surprised sort of moan, because-

She was- Harry too. She was messing with _both_ of them while Chad was in Harry's lap, draped across his torso and even if he couldn't feel _Harry,_ he knew what was there.

"U-Uma," Harry gasped, one hand shifting until it was pressed against Chad's back, urging him forward. "Captain, ye don't-"

"I want my boys to feel good," the captain replied simply, one hand lazily stirring the water. "Do you feel good?"

"Y-yes, but-" Chad struggled for air when he felt the water sliding up his torso, breaking the surface tension of the tub until everything from his neck down was covered. "_Uma_."

"Some risks are worth taking," she said, voice as unyielding as before. "I know you want to protect us; I know you want to protect _everyone_, but you've got to let us return the favor sometimes."

"Uma-" Chad groaned, burying his head in Harry's neck until they could ride out the storm, water and sensation and relentless heat whirling in his mind. "You already- you've done _enough_."

"We've done enough when I _say_ we've done enough," she muttered, and then the room was filled with light.

Light. Blinding light that burned at his eyelids, a brilliant radiance he could _feel_ in his bones, singing though his body in a gentle hum until blood was roaring in his ears, breath coming too fast and water sliding down his body and-

His arms, moving.

He could feel them, could feel _Harry_ in a way he hadn't in _weeks_, could feel the skin and the water and the heat, could feel his pulse rushing and hard muscles and scars. He could feel Harry's arms wrapped around his body, could _feel_ the parts that weren't drenched in water. It was there, it had come _back_.

Chad found himself sobbing, pulling back from Harry so he could reach for his face. His fingers trembled, but it wasn't because they were fighting his directions, it was because they were _weak_, because he'd been stuck in bed for weeks on end and he was sobbing so hard he was laughing, cupping Harry's cheek and _feeling_ it under his hands.

"I feel you," he said between gasps. "Harry, I can- I can _feel_ you, I-" He shuddered, devolving into incoherent joy.

"That's right, darlin'," Harry soothed, covering Chad's fingers with his own, one hand running down Chad's arm, across his shoulders, brushing down his side and it wasn't _leaving_, it wasn't a fleeting thing. It was _there_. "That's it, nice and easy."

"U-Uma." Chad's voice was rough and broken but she needed to know his _thanks_, needed to know he hadn't doubted her, he just hadn't wanted her to get hurt for his sake. "Uma, it worked. You- I'm sorry. I'm _sorry_."

"Hush, baby." She cradled his cheek easily, and he felt each of those delicate fingers, callouses and warmth but a certain _strength_ that was just Uma's way. "You were trying to protect me. You didn't think you were worth the risk."

"I'm _not_," Chad sobbed. "But t-thank you, Uma-"

"You're wrong," she said simply. "But we'll show you that. We'll get there."

"_Fuck_," Harry hissed, pressing warm kisses against Chad's shoulder. "You two are killin' me."

"Me too," Gil gasped, sharp but sweet. "Uma, can I-"

"Yeah, sweetheart," she soothed. "Go ahead."

Chad was still trying to catch his breath, still trying to stabilize when he felt Gil climb into the tub behind him. He inhaled sharply when he felt broad hands pull him back until he was reclining against Gil's chest, one thick arm wrapped around his waist while the other toyed with his hip, Harry looking at the two of them with a gaze of extreme hunger.

"My boys," Harry drawled, and Chad should – he should put a stop to that, he'd already told them he was Ben's, he was the others', but they weren't _there_ and they kept not being _there_ and Chad knew the world was bigger than him, but he'd thought maybe at least one of them would have tried by now.

His heart was pounding in his chest when Harry climbed into his lap, sandwiching Chad between them and it felt so good, felt so cared for, especially when Harry cupped his face between his rough hands so they could stare each other in the eye.

"One last time," Uma soothed, and then the heat built up again, only this time Chad could feel himself react against Harry, could feel Gil react under him and it set him on a quick path to arousal, a road that was already shortened by his increased sensitivity and negligible stamina. Uma wouldn't be able to tease them for long at this rate because Chad was going to fall apart quickly, but that seemed to be the case for the others too, Gil pressing soft kisses against his shoulders while Harry talked him through it, saying how pretty Chad was, how good he _felt_.

It was wonderful, it was torture, and it ended almost as quickly as it began.

Fuck. _Fuck_. Harry Hook was perched on top of him, naked as the day he was born and Chad was no better, boneless and gasping and grateful for it, for Gil's firm body behind him, holding him in place with zero effort.

"There you go," Uma panted, and even _she_ was exhausted, using her magic to heal Chad and then satisfy all three of them. She was as determined as she was generous and Chad didn't know what to do with that, especially when it was warranted so little. "That's it."

"What." Chad swallowed, trembling as Harry shifted off of him, curling against his side in the warm waters. "What if it- it doesn't hold?" He felt tears pooling at the corner of his eye. "What if it goes away tomorrow?"

"Then I'll do it again," Uma said simply, and that was that. "And I'll do it the day after that, and the day after that. I'll do it every day if I need to until we get that antidote." Her fingers curled through his hair, and _finally_ he felt them. "You're fighting so hard for our freedom, Chad. The least I can do is fight for yours."

She hushed him when the tears began to spill again, kissing at his cheeks and letting him cry it out until he was exhausted. Eventually, the three of them lazily wrapped themselves in towels (Chad had climbed out of the tub on trembling legs but he'd _done_ it, and that had almost set him off again) and collapsed onto Chad's bed, Gil stripping out of his wet clothing until it was three of them naked and one pleased Uma, letting them curl around her like the goddess she was.

-:-:-:-:-:-

Blinking awake the next morning Chad waited for the other shoe to drop, but nothing came. There was soreness – a deep bone ache Chad hadn't felt in so long he was giggly, curling into Uma's lithe form, Gil a solid presence at his back. _Fuck_, it was like old times except not at all because he wasn't dating these people but he could _feel_ and that had to count, for something. It _had_ to.

"…wha's funny?" Gil grumbled against his neck, Chad shivering at the slight brush of lips – hello, old friend – reveling in the broad arm curled around his waist that he knew was there, knew was there without even seeing, didn't have to _pretend_ to feel it because the sheets were soft against his fingertips and he could feel the rise and fall of Uma's torso and everything was wonderful.

"It's still here," Chad laughed, a bubbling happiness building in his chest. "I can move my fingers. I can _feel_ my fingers." He spent a moment marveling at that, pressing his fingers together and curling them in alternating patterns that didn't tremble or spasm in the lightest. "It's still-" He was going to cry again.

"And it will be there _later_," Uma grumbled. "Now sleep, or I'll let Harry get to you."

"Can I still have 'im?" Harry asked through a yawn, eyes half-lidded with sleep. "'Promise I'll be good, captain."

"Maybe when you wake up more," Uma allowed, and Chad didn't fight it, he _laughed_.

At least until Uma shut him up with a pillow, until Gil squeezed him closer and Chad thought he's shake apart all over again because he realized neither of them was wearing _clothes_.

It was, um, the little things.

-:-:-:-:-:-

Of course, with all good things eventually came bad things.

Chad's arrived halfway through his impromptu nap in the sweetest form of irony, because it'd been something he'd spent months hoping for, only the universe didn't seem fit to give it to him until _now_.

"What the fuck?"

Despite the context, Chad found himself grinning at the question because that was _Jay_ – that was Jay's annoyed voice and he wasn't even hallucinating it, the guy was _right there_ in the doorway, staring down at him in a mixture of confusion and anger-

"Jay!" Chad struggled to sit up, nudging Gil's arm out of the way so he could face his boyfriend who was actually _right there_. "Where the fuck have you been?"

"Don't turn this on _me_," Jay snapped, frowning down at Chad's undressed state, looking over the rest of the bed that was slowly waking up and- oh, most of them weren't wearing clothes.

Chad paused. "I can see how this looks bad."

"You _think?!_" Jay was quick to anger but not normally with his lovers – for _them_ there was usually a small well of patience that allowed them the benefit of the doubt. "Why are you naked? Why are-" He motioned to Gil and Harry – Gil who was still mostly asleep but Harry was snarling in a familiar way that meant Chad was going to have to intercede soon. "-_t__hey _naked?!"

"Because we were too tired to put on clothes," Chad countered. "Seriously, where the fuck have you been?"

"_We-_" Jay motioned to himself, to behind him, as though encapsulating the others. "-have been dealing with a political _shitstorm_ while you've just-"

"What?" Chad snapped, wrapping his towel tighter to his waist so he could crawl to the foot of the bed, get on his own two feet. "Been _kidnapped?!_"

"That excuse ended months ago," Jay shot back, like being held hostage could just pardon Chad's behavior, like Chad would dothat. "We've been worried sick about you – stuck out _there_ cleaning up a mess while you're just-"

"What?" Chad pressed, his chest feeling unbearably tight. Somehow, he managed to stumble onto his feet, though his legs were still shaky, unused to the weight. "I'm _what_?"

"Fucking around!" Jay burst. "Did you even think of us?"

"Of course I thought of you!" Chad was painfully aware of the three individuals watching the argument happening behind them, of Uma giving low orders to Harry to stand down. "I thought of you every day!"

"Before or _after_ you slept with them?" Jay shot back, striking out with such violent ruthlessness that Chad froze, watching an alien form of fury take over Jay's expression. Jay, who had worshipped him, who thought he was _'the cutest boy in the world'_. "I can't believe you. I can't believe we thought you were such a good guy when you really are just a slut."

Chad flinched even as he heard Harry scramble out of the bed behind him. "Now ye just watch your mouth, Jay. He ain't nothing like that."

"Did he tell you he was taken?" Jay pressed.

"Mentioned it once or twice," Uma drawled, slow and easy, unimpressed. "Didn't see any indications of it. You guys have been _real_ absent."

"Because we wanted you to be _safe!_" Jay snarled. "I shouldn't even be here! I only came because it was my birthday and-" Fuck. _Fuck_. "I wouldn't have even known about this, bet you wouldn't have said anything, since you had an arrangement you- _whore_."

"Shut it, _Jay_," Harry snarled, but Chad waved him off, couldn't deal with him _and_ Jay losing it at the same time.

"Happy birthday, Jay," Chad said quietly, his voice trembling despite his efforts to keep it still. "It's good to see you."

"Wish I could say the _same_," Jay snapped back, and then he was stomping out the door, tall and proud and so very angry, shaking Chad's entire world apart.

He was going to tell Ben. He was going to tell dumb-fuck Ben who would tell the others and they were going to dump him and they should, Chad knew that now, knew his kingdom was toxic, but-

He stumbled down the stairs to the best of his ability, his legs protesting every movement until he caught sight of Jay's back.

"Jay, _wait!_" He didn't expect the other teen to listen but for some reason he did, pulling up short even though he refused to so much as look at Chad. "Don't- please don't let this affect what happens to Uma and the others."

Jay's hands trembled against his sides. "And take away your latest squeeze? Don't worry your highness, we'll keep our word."

'_Unlike you'_, he did not say, though Chad heard him nonetheless. Heard him loud and clear.

There was nothing else he could think to add as his boyfriend – his ex-boyfriend – walked out of sight. He stood there, straining to listen to footsteps he'd never be able to hear before slowly collapsing against the wall. Just around the bend, Gil and Harry were waiting behind him, likely knowing how weak Chad's legs were, but Chad just- couldn't. He couldn't.

With one last surrender, he cried, pressing his face against the wall in a poor attempt to muffle his sobs. He kept crying even when Gil's arm wrapped around his shoulders, even when he was cradled between him and Harry and Uma threaded her fingers through his hair. He felt it all, but it was a hallow victory.

Or maybe it was the right one.

He'd always known deep down that he wasn't supposed to go to Cotillion with Ben. This was just the universe's way of correcting things.

-:-:-:-:-:-

Eventually, Uma managed to usher them back up the staircase, guiding them towards the bed they had just recently vacated, though the mood had entirely shifted. Bright celebration gave way to sorrow and grief, and Chad knew he shouldn't be crying, knew they didn't owe it to him to offer comfort, but he couldn't seem to stop anyway because he loved those assholes so much and they'd finally realized what he _was_, and that was nothing.

"It's okay," Harry, of all people, was soothing, thumbing at the tear tracks on Chad's face as they settled back into bed. He could hear Uma shifting outside the bed, walking into the bathroom but couldn't really focus on _why_, not when his heart felt so heavy. "He's wrong, blondie. Stupid brat doesn't know what he's talking about."

"N-no, he was right," Chad whispered, wishing he could burrow under the covers and never see the light of day again. "I am a slut. That's like-" He shrugged. "-in my bones."

Chad had literally _just_ been dumped for his promiscuity and was already being cuddled by a mostly naked guy, and instead of fighting against Gil's hold Chad surrendered to it, because it felt so very comforting.

"I think-" Gil murmured against his shoulder, lips just barely grazing Chad's skin. "That you've just got a big heart."

"Or a desperate need for attention," Chad laughed, because that was what his grandfather had said. And his grandfather wasn't even wrong.

"Oh, _boo-hoo_," Uma drawled, crawling onto the bed behind Harry until she could curl around their heads, dabbing Chad's face with a wet washcloth. "So you like sex. Everyone likes sex, it's _good_. Your ex-boyfriend was garbage, and that sucks, but you're better off without him."

That made fresh tears spill down Chad's face. "B-but the others-"

"If they're gonna dump you for accepting some- appreciation," Uma settled on. "Then they're garbage too. We never touched you."

"Even though we wanted to," Gil offered quietly, his broad fingers rubbing against the delicate skin of Chad's hip.

"We just wanted you to have a good time," Uma continued, nodding gratefully to Gil's contribution. "And you did – that isn't a crime. If you'd been able to call them, you probably would have asked for permission first, wouldn't you have?"

"Yeah, but I didn't," Chad sighed. "That's the _point_."

"It's _bullshit_," Harry snapped, so very close and so very undressed and so fiery and true. "Even if they're done with ye, you'll always have us."

"Can't get rid of us that easily," Uma mused, withdrawing the washcloth so she could really stare at Chad's face.

"I-" Chad didn't know how to feel about that, because things had seemed good before _too_ but obviously they really weren't. "I think um- getting together with anyone like, five minutes after I was dumped for being whore probably doesn't help against the slut argument."

"You're not a _slut_," Harry growled, his fingers tracing Chad's sides until they settled on his hips, brushing against Gil's hands. "What we did was healthy and natural and _good_ because it made ye feel good when you were obviously miserable."

"I wasn't _miserable-_"

"You got a little sadder every day," Gil interrupted, his voice soft. "Even though you hid it well."

"You helped us when you had every right to just- be depressed," Uma added. "You didn't have to talk to us at all, but you did. And you were respectful which granted – may have been more of a survival instinct, but when you were offered a way out you didn't want to take it in case it hurt _me_, so-" She shrugged. "I think you're just a really nice guy."

"And Jay's stupid if he can't remember that." Harry glowered. "See that ye deserve whatever moments of happiness you can find when your body's mostly broken, when your spirit's close to crushed."

"Nice, Harry," Uma hummed her appreciation. "Real poetic of you."

"Shut it." He flushed. "Ye know what I meant."

"I do." She was smiling. "I think it deserves a reward, really."

"_Uma_," Chad flushed. "You don't… trust me, there's better out there. I'm just a novelty, but eventually I'll probably-" He frowned. "You know – turn on you too."

"You won't," Uma replied easily. "Because you know what's good for you, but also because you can't possibly be wooed by anyone who's as good looking or wonderful as we are."

"But I'm-"

"Harry," Uma interrupted with a firm voice. "Could you run a bath, please?"

Her first mate blinked, seeming reluctant to withdraw from Chad. "_Uma-_"

"You've had your turn," she tutted, lightly tapping his head. "Now _go_."

"Uma," Chad sighed as Harry slid off the bed. "We can't just keep having baths."

"Sure we can," she replied. "You deserve a treat, and hey-" She reached over and carded a hand through Gil's hair. "I think _you_ deserve a treat too, Gilly."

"I do?" Gil brightened up.

"Yep." Uma grinned. "Why don't you go ahead and let our prince know how much you appreciate him?"

"Okay," Gil chirped, pulling away so he could nudge Chad onto his back. "I can do that."

Chad flushed. "_Uma-_"

"Please." Uma rolled her eyes as Gil bracketed him against the bed, reaching down with easy fingers and deftly pulling Chad's towel out of the way. "Think I didn't notice you fall for Gil first? Everyone loves our Gilly." Gil offered her a bright smile before bending low, pressing kisses against Chad's chest and slowly making his way downward. "You're lucky I felt like sharing."

"U-Uma-" Chad said, because broad hands were on his legs, urging them apart while Gil kissed his stomach, rubbed small circles on the inside of his thighs. _Shit_, he could feel all of it, and it was wonderful, a distinct heat already swelling low in his core.

"He's got the best smile, doesn't he?" Uma asked, carding her fingers through Chad's hair. "And that _hair_ – thick and golden, didn't think I'd see anything as pretty until I saw yours." Chad whimpered, couldn't help it at the comparison, and Uma's expression shifted into one of interest. "Oh, like that, do you? Gil," she said, interrupting the teen's effort to thoroughly dote on Chad's low abdomen. "Say some nice stuff about Chad."

"Oh, yeah," Gil grinned, his expression earnestly pleased. "So um- I was like, really happy when you didn't make me wear a blindfold when I bathed you cuz like, you're so pretty, and tan, and your lips are like-" He flushed. "When Uma gets you real worked up and your head falls back and you're all '_oh-oh-oh'_, that's like, the _best_. Watching um- your hips shift into the water." He caressed Chad's side to emphasize this. "It's- pretty great. And that's just- sex stuff. You're so smart and patient when you're explaining things and you don't even look at me like I'm stupid even though I am-"

"_Gil_," Chad moaned, fingers brushing against those thick curls. "N-not dumb, I told you-"

"Yeah," Gil sighed happily. "I'm just good at _other things_ and um- luckily that involves this-"

And then he ducked down, putting his mouth _on_ Chad, causing such a furious explosion of contact and pleasure that Chad was amazed he didn't fall apart right _there_.

"G-Gil," he whimpered, trying not to rut into that heat. "Gil, I'm gonna-"

"Do it, baby," Uma urged, rubbing circles into his scalp. "Gil wants you to. You have no idea how long he's wanted this."

"_Fuck_," was murmured from the doorway, and Chad looked up through half-closed eyes to see Harry watching them with an expression of want. "Can't believe I almost missed it."

"You _will_ miss it if you let the tub overflow," Uma warned, voice low and sultry.

"Don't think that will be a problem." It was too good, seeing Harry all flushed and wrecked like that. "Don't think he'll last much longer."

"Nope," Uma agreed, and that was like permission, a go ahead for Chad to surrender to that all-consuming heat with a broken cry, legs flexing and Gil just- relentless, teasing him through the entire process until Chad had nothing left to give.

"Gil," he crooned. "Gil, Gil, Gil-"

"_Fuck_," Harry repeated. He had abandoned his towel too, was um- touching himself, over this, over the picture they made. "Ye gonna help him in the tub?"

"Think I've earned the right," Uma said, voice low and sultry. "But you and Gil can take the shower."

"Okay," Gil said as he pulled away from Chad, pressing wet kisses to his hip. "You taste good, by the way."

Chad whimpered.

"Gonna have to remember the compliment thing," Harry said, like it was something he needed to know, and then he was pulling Gil away from the bed. "Come on, ye big lug. Leave 'im with the captain."

"Uma," Chad huffed, because he didn't know if he could manage a bath after that, at least, what a bath entailed for them. "I-"

"You need to get cleaned up after that," she decided. "Clean away the old, welcome in the new. Come on."

He could protest, but at that point being able to sit up on his own was a definite novelty he wanted to relish, savoring each step across the room even if he was bare because his legs had held out. He flushed when he realized Uma was stripping as she went, revealing planes of dark skin that made Chad's breath catch.

"_Uma_." He forced himself to look down, because even though he'd seen Harry and Gil naked this was different, they had the same parts but Uma was _captain_, and certainly deserved more than Chad. "We don't have um- proper protection-"

"Always thinking of others." A hand settled under his chin, Uma making him look up so he could stare into her eyes. "Knew I chose good – now stop worrying about it. I've got this."

She pressed a finger to his lips when he made to protest again, slinking forward into his space until they were touching, chest to chest and Chad flushed so hard his ears buzzed, because he'd never pictured Uma this exposed, and she was lovely in her own right.

"That's right," she urged. "Appreciate this moment. Come on."

She guided him towards the tub; let him take one side while she took the other, facing him. Chad distracted himself with the sounds of the shower starting up, Gil and Harry pressed together behind the clear glass, trading lazy kisses while occasionally glancing their way.

"Pretty, aren't they?" Uma asked, earning a flushed scowl from Harry and a happy grin from Gil.

"Y-yeah," Chad agreed.

"You are too," she said, revisiting her discovery from the bedroom, and Chad blushed, because even if he knew he was objectively attractive, it was different having Uma tell him as much honestly. "You know, there's a lake outside this property," she began innocently enough. "It helped me… discover some things. Things I think you'll like, but, you know-" She shrugged, making enough of an effort to seem casual that Chad knew she was self-conscious. "If you don't like it, just say so."

"I trust you," he replied honestly. They wouldn't have gotten this far if he hadn't. "Uma-"

"Just- if you say so," she repeated, and a light seemed to stir to life underneath the water.

Chad wasn't entirely sure what he'd been expecting, but tentacles hadn't really been part of it. Still, he found a smile tugging at his lips, because this was _Uma_, this was part of her that she was sharing.

"They're beautiful," he said, reaching a hand out. "…may I-?"

She grinned, eyes half-lidded and sultry. "Be my guest."

Carefully, he trailed a hand across the nearest tentacle, a deep turquoise that complimented her hair. It was somehow slick and soft at the same time, curling around his wrist in a loose sort of handshake. He laughed. "_Wow_, Uma."

"Good response," she declared. "That'll make this even better."

"Uma, what are you-" Chad cut off when he felt one of the tentacles wrap around his torso in a gentle hug, pulse racing when he felt a few wrap around his legs, spread them wide. "_Uma_."

"It's good," she promised, like she knew from experience. "Gil and Harry seem to like it, at least."

Somehow Chad managed to flush _darker_ at that image, a burst of heat flowing through his torso at the thought of them being mercilessly teased by Uma.

"Like that image?" Uma teased, knowing full well he did. "I'll let you watch, next time."

"F-_fuck_," he hissed, didn't get much of a chance at coherency because one of the tentacles was grinding between his legs, using the textured suckers to stir Chad into a frenzy. "_Uma_."

"That's it," she soothed, as though there weren't tentacles _everywhere_, caressing Chad's arms, his chest, massaging his abdomen and the sensitive area of his inner-thighs and his groin, until Chad was arching hopelessly into the touch, head thrown back in desperate cries.

"_Lord, Uma_," Harry growled from the shower. He had Gil boxed against the wall and was teasing him mercilessly, a lovely flush dusting the blond's cheeks and spilling down his chest. "_You're gonna break him_."

"Don't think I could," Uma replied, and then a tentacle wrapped _around_ Chad and he was hopelessly done for.

"Ah- _Uma_." She controlled the pressure, varying from light strokes to heavy shudders, teasing him nice and slow before moving in a fiery frenzy. Chad was helpless to do anything but thrash in her grip, overwhelmed by the multitude of sensations. "I can't- _Uma_."

"That's my name," she drawled, satisfied. "Keep saying it, sweetheart."

"Uma," he chanted, surrendering to her attentions. "Uma, Uma, _Uma!_"

A tremendous pulse seemed to course through Chad's body, and when it was done he could hear white noise buzzing his ears, Uma guiding him down from that high softly, whispering nonsense.

_Fuck_, he was going to have bruises from that – suction marks on his arms and Chad didn't care, it hurt so good.

"_Wow, Uma_," Gil murmured, a dopey grin on his face as Harry slumped against him, obviously lost. "_That was awesome_."

"I am awesome," she sniffed. "So that makes sense."

"So um…" Chad struggled for any form of coherency, but the tentacles were still very much wrapped around him in a gentle sort of hug and that was distracting. "How do you feel about being a princess?"

"_Psh_." Uma rolled her eyes. "It's overrated, but I think Harry would take you up on that."

"_Captain_," Harry whined but didn't disagree, burying his face in Gil's chest to hide a wonderful flush.

That was… not knowledge Chad knew.

"Huh," Chad said. He didn't have the brain capacity for anything more. "Alright, then."

-:-:-:-:-:-

It was startling, how fast things went wrong.

After vigorous bathroom _correspondence_, the four of them took turns actually getting clean – Harry ravishing Chad in the shower until Uma ordered them to move on. In the end all the exertion and heartbreak combined with a general lack of exercise made Chad _exhausted_ again, so he dressed in one of Lonnie's old shirts and a pair of sweatpants before sprawling out on the bed. Uma and Gil went downstairs to rustle up some food, and in the meantime Harry slowly went through his sword forms for Chad's critique, boasting about extra practice and a mastery that he was – fairly enough – on his way to.

Chad was half asleep when Harry seemed to twitch towards the door, and then _entirely awake_ when a handful of elite Sardinian guards poured into the room, all of them aiming weapons at Harry.

Despite his panic, Chad's hands moved as he'd instructed them to, snatching up the knife and phone he had buried under his pillow, flicking the camera on immediately.

"Don't fight us, your majesty," one of the guards ordered, approaching the bed with careful movements while one of his underlings circled around the other side. "There's no reason to make this more difficult than it has to be."

"I agree with you, captain," Chad said, then held the knife up to this throat, making the guard freeze in place. Across the room, he heard Harry snarl, but he caught no signs of movement. "I'll surrender quietly if you make a statement right here, right now, that Harry, Uma, and Gil are in no way related to my supposed kidnapping, and are considered free and innocent by Sardinian law." He pressed the knife closer to his throat, activating the program in his phone that would stream this to a live archive to be saved and automatically submitted to Auradon servers. It wasn't a form of immediate protection, but it was the best he could offer the three. "_Now_, captain."

The guard considered his options. "I, Captain Rooten, hereby pledge that Harry Hook – son of Captain James Hook, Uma – daughter of Ursula – and Gil LeGumme – son of Gaston LeGumme – are in no way related to or charged with the kidnapping and imprisonment of Prince Chadwick James of Sardinia. No charges will be placed against them, nor harm shall befall them for this grievous misunderstanding."

It was as perfect as it could be, which made Chad realized that his grandfather must have accounted for any tricks like this.

"They'll know, if you hurt them," Chad said quietly, making sure his voice didn't waver. "Ben has a record of their arrival-"

"They are of no interest to us, your majesty," the captain said. "We're only here for you."

"Then I'm yours." Chad dropped the knife, ignoring Harry's frustrated outcry when he fell under sedation again, hoping _furiously_ that the three of them wouldn't be harmed.

He was a lost cause, but they had a chance.

It was all he could hold onto.

* * *

-:-:-:-:-:-

* * *

Endnotes:

Thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter! Your feedback is always appreciated, especially in these crazy times :)

Fun fact, Luis Van Rooten was the original voice actor for the king and Grand Duke in the animated Cinderella movie. Hence Captain Rooten, because I am not a creative soul ;P

Yes, yes Jay is a dummy. He'll discover the errors of his ways later.

Until next time :)


	5. The Nonsense That Is Happy Endings

Chapter 5 – The Nonsense That Is Happy Endings

* * *

-:-:-:-:-:-

* * *

When Chad next awoke, he was in an entirely new facility. His home was a worn-out mat angled right next to a door, Chad's eyes level with a small rectangular opening at the very base of the door that opened three times a day to give him food – mush and water. It was a punishment, a greater one, for while Chad's first imprisonment had been agony, he'd at least been maintained.

Now the Duke did not know about Chad regaining his strength, so his intention was for Chad to fail on his own, to struggle to get his own food and to lay in his own waste because there was only a month left before Chad could rejoin society, and he could suffer until then.

It made Chad extra thankful that Uma had gone against his wishes and healed him. She'd spared him that particular agony; Chad could only hope now that she was truly safe. He'd done everything he could, but even still, he wondered if it was enough. It felt like it wasn't.

But that was always the way of things.

Chad worked out. It seemed like the most prudent use of his time, with nothing else to occupy him. He was always sure to be resting by the door when the food came, but other than that, he slowly worked on rehabilitating himself.

Useless, he was _useless_, but he might as well make himself marginally less so. He passed his days thinking of the ones he had left behind and the ones that had claimed him, wondered if his heart was fickle, if he was broken. He wondered how long he could stay true to Uma and Gil and Harry, wondered if he really was the whore his reputation played him as.

He hoped-

Hoping was stupid. But there he was, nonetheless, wishing fruitlessly as time went by, as no new escape routes revealed themselves. He was trapped, and even with his new mobility he didn't have the strength to overwhelm the guards, he didn't have the knowledge he needed to plot a true escape. He had _nothing_, because he was useless. The only thing he could do was work out and cry on his dumb mat, wonder how much freedom he would have when he was finally released. _If_ he ever got released.

Perhaps his grandfather preferred him shut away. At least like this, Chad couldn't make a mess.

Cotillion was approaching. He knew that with every passing day. He wondered who Ben would announce as his Lady of the Court. If he'd stick with Evie or try and introduce a Gentleman, like Jay. Chad didn't even want it to be _him_, he just wanted to be there, to apologize for being so weak. He wasn't even sure if he fully regretted it, he just- he needed them.

Chad tried to be strong, but in the end, he really wasn't. He was weak, pathetic.

Maybe it was better this way.

-:-:-:-:-:-

Of course fate, as it was wont to do, had other plans in mind.

Chad came to know this when his dreary stone room erupted in a vision of light that faded away to reveal _Jane_.

Only it wasn't just Jane – this was Jane in her magical prime. Jane wearing the pretty blue formal gown he'd designed her with the pink waist bow, her hair done in loose curls. This was Jane radiating magic like glitter, a thin, radiant wand clutched in her hands, and Chad knew without asking that it was _her_ wand, not her mother's, and it was perfectly suited for _her_.

"Oh good," Jane said, as though she hadn't expected it to work. "You're here. Up you go."

"_Jane_," Chad gushed, rising to his feet in quick movements. "How-"

"I'm your fairy god sister," she announced. "Of course I found you. Your blood is fae-blessed, but more importantly you, Chadwick James, are _mine_." She said it with a confidence that couldn't help but leave Chad grinning, because maybe he hadn't ruined everything. "And I take care of what's mine. Now…" She made a show of thinking something over. "What were those words again?"

"Jane, you _shit_," Chad laughed.

It was worth it for her brilliant smile. "Oh, right," she said, flicking her wand. "Bibbidi Bobbidi _Boo_."

Chad expected a transportation, or maybe for Aziz and Lonnie to appear with another magic carpet, but instead the magic seemed to focus on _Chad_. Which was strange, because Jane obviously already knew he could walk again, but then he realized it wasn't himself so much as his _clothes_ that were being affected.

The light faded, and Chad was left in a formal suit that couldn't be categorized as anything less than flashy. It was stylish but _bright_, shimmering the same blue/silver as his mother's ballgown all those years ago. There was even a cape. A _cape_.

"Tonight's Cotillion," Jane explained with a wave of her hand. "And we're going."

"Jane," Chad began, trying to protest.

But his fate was sealed with another, "Bibbidi Bobbidi _Boo_" - and then the world exploded in light.

-:-:-:-:-:-

"_Jane_," Chad hissed as she led them through the lower deck of the fancy cruise ship she had hired for Cotillion. "This is a bad idea."

"No it isn't," Jan replied, just as lightly as the last few times Chad had brought this up. "This is the plan. This has always been the plan."

"It was the plan _before_ I broke up with them," Chad muttered, fingers tracing the shimmering fabric of his suit and feeling self-conscious despite himself. "And before I went missing for like, half a year. I haven't even been seen in public yet-"

"Which is what will make this such a wonderful surprise," Jane Bibbidi Bobbidi _chirped_. "As far as the public's concerned you've been training in Sardinia to take over the crown. They'll be happy to see you again."

"Jay _won't._" Considering how quickly he'd left the last time Chad had seen him.

"We're not talking about Jay," Jane declared, her tone clipped and angry, which meant the ex-thief had likely been on her shit list since the day the safehouse had been compromised. "Now, I'm going to lead you up to the deck, they're going to introduce you and then you're going to dance with Ben, who will declare you the first Gentleman of the Court-"

"This is stupid," Chad huffed, struggling to maintain his composure. "This whole thing is stupid. Why did we think this was a good idea? We should have gotten Doug to do it, or Evie, like I said before."

"We're sticking to plan," Jane said, and Chad knew then that if he tried to run she'd hunt him down, would gladly _force_ him out onto that deck whether he wanted it or not. "All you have to do is go out there and be charming."

"Right." Chad didn't even know if he could do that anymore, everything he'd built had crumbled beneath his hands. It was only will and luck that had given him any sort of advantage. "Jane." He fumbled for her shoulder, pulling her to a stop just before a narrow set of stairs. "What if I don't _want_ to do this?"

He'd been through so much these past few months, and he had so little choice in most of it. He was glad to be finally free, yes, but he wanted a second to _breathe_, to regain his bearings, to _not_ be a prince.

Finally, Jane's look of determination softened into something gentler, into that brother-sister fondness they had worked so hard to build up between them. "What was it that your mom always said?"

Chad blinked. "What?"

"Her saying," Jane pressed. "The one she left you with."

That was just- not playing fair.

"She said to have courage," he murmured, forcing a swallow to keep a familiar heat from building behind his eyes. "And be kind."

"I know it's hard, but I need you to be brave right now," Jane whispered, cradling his hands between hers. "I need you to show them that they didn't break you, that they _can't_ break you. All you have to do is make it through the night, and then we can do whatever you want."

"Promise?" Chad asked, throat tight and clumsy.

"Promise." She nodded, and he knew that it was true. "I'll magic us wherever you want. You've already done everything you need to do."

"Okay," Chad said, because he could do this. He _could_. "I'll- I'll go be a gentleman, I guess."

"You already are one," Jane urged, tugging him back towards the staircase. "Now we just need the rest of them to see it."

-:-:-:-:-:-

Only years of training allow Chad to maintain any kind of neutral disposition when he made it to the top of the staircase. He slid into his default expression of soft charm like it was an old friend, though even that wasn't enough to quell the uncertainty growing in his stomach.

_Lumière was the first to catch sight of him, and to the man's credit there was only a brief moment of surprise on his face before it was schooled under his usual professional apathy, the tall man offering Chad a polite nod before stepping forward to make his announcement. "Presenting Chadwick James, crown prince of Sardinia." _

_The reaction was immediate, as though Chad wouldn't have pulled enough focus in the unnecessarily extravagant suit Jane had left him with. He could only be grateful she hadn't tried to coat his dress shoes in pure crystal, as though he wasn't already so clearly his mother's son. He smiled politely, ignoring the eruption of murmured voices, and made no effort to scan the crowd as he normally would have. No, there was no need to indulge in survival instincts now, Chad didn't need to look for anyone, he merely needed to bask in their combined gazes. _

_It was horrible, but he only had a few more hours to deal with it, and the staircase wasn't that long anyway. _

_He paused at the bottom of the stairs to greet Lord Adam and Lady Belle, offering a polite tilt of his head. "Good evening, your grace."_

_"Chadwick," Ben's mom gasped, eyes shining with a hint of moisture as she squeezed his arm. "I'm so glad you could make it. We've missed you terribly." Chad would have called that out for the lie it was, but even the former king seemed kind of relieved to see him. "I'm so sorry to hear about your grandfather."_

_"Thank you, your ladyship," Chad kept his reply even, despite the fact that he had no idea what had happened to his grandfather. Jane hadn't explained that much. Was he dead? Chad hoped he was dead. "That means a lot to me."_

_"And you mean a lot to us," Belle pressed. "Ben has been listless without you." _

_"I highly doubt that, your ladyship." Chad forced a grin. "Your son is more capable in times of trouble than the rest of us on a good day. And that's coming from me." _

_That earned him a soft laugh, which made Chad think maybe he really_ _could_ get through this evening. "You give him too much credit, Chadwick," she murmured. "But please, don't let us hold you up. There are others who have missed you as well."

"Thank you, your ladyship." Chad offered her another bow. "Your lordship."

He'd been hoping to touch base with Aziz, get an update on everything he had missed in the months he had been gone, but it was Carlos who found him next.

"Hey, dude," the young DeVille said with a level of forced casualness that pained Chad. "Didn't expect to see you here."

"That goes for both of us," Chad chuckled, feeling cracked inside. "But, you know, Jane was able to convince me to come out." He fingered the shimmering fabric of his cape. "Hooked me up with an outfit almost as pretty as me."

"I dunno," Carlos drawled, though some of the tension seemed to ease from his shoulders. "I think you might be selling yourself short."

"Chad." Evie floated into the conversation looking every inch the royal she was – the official crown of Hanover's princess perched atop her navy locks. So he'd missed that too. "It's wonderful to see you."

"Is it?" Chad asked before he could help himself. "I mean, of course it is."

_Before Evie could reply, an unreadable look in her gaze, Aziz finally cut into their huddle. "Excuse me, Carlos, your highness, but I need to borrow Chad here for a second."_

_"By all means," Chad said before they could do something like say no or more likely say yes and Chad would have to fall apart all over again. _

_Following Aziz to a private corner was a familiar routine that Chad could commit by rote, offering charming smiles and sly winks to the few royals they passed on the way to a strategic retreat._

_"So," he began once they settled in like two old buddies catching up, which for once they actually were. "What happened to my grandfather, exactly?" _

_"Poor guy." Aziz shook his head slowly. "It seemed he had been quietly suffering from a debilitating heart condition for years without telling anyone. Wanted to be strong for your dad, you know? He tragically fell to a heart attack while you were out studying." _

_"Oh dear," Chad forced himself to murmur, because for all that he had hoped for his grandfather's imminent demise he'd never actually expected it to happen, like the specter of his nightmares was immortal, despite being just as fallible and weak as Chad. "That's terrible news."_

_"You're holding up well." Aziz squeezed his shoulder, because that would be expected of him. "Your father would be proud. He wants to speak to you, actually." _

_"Does he?" Chad wasn't sure if that was a truth or just some more expected exposition on Aziz's part, but the other prince nodded._

_"He does. I think losing part of his family made him realize how little he had left. And how he should cherish that." Which was, frankly, something he should have figured out over a decade ago, but Chad wasn't going to start yelling about it now. _

_"And the others?" Chad said because he just- couldn't process that now. "Have they been well?"_

_"They've been something, all right," Aziz muttered, as close to breaking character as he'd ever gotten. "They've been doing well in school. And all the transfer students have been flourishing accordingly. They're here, actually."_

_"By all of them-"_

_"I meant all of them," Aziz pressed, gaze insistent enough that Chad knew Uma, Harry, and Gil must be here too, and that they were safe. "There're some stories to tell you about that, but it looks like your man just showed up." _

_"He's not my…" The words died in Chad's throat when he caught sight of Ben. Ben, wearing the royal crown of Auradon like it was made for him, tall and regal and just as painfully good as Chad remembered him. It had been so long since Chad had seen him, had gotten a glimpse of his visage that wasn't in his imagination, and to be suddenly confronted with it made part of Chad want to break as much as the other part wanted to sprint up the stairs and beg for Ben's forgiveness, because he'd done so little to deserve Chad's mess._

_"Introducing his royal majesty – King Benjamin Florian of Auradon!" Lumière called, grinning at the tremendous cheers of the crowd. "And with him, his Lady of the Court – Audrey Rose, crown Princess of Auroria!" _

"Son of a bitch," Aziz murmured, though Chad barely heard him over the roar in his ears.

Granted, part of him had always known it was ludicrous to be presented as Gentleman of the Court, but Jane had seemed so sure. And here he was, standing in a ridiculous suit with Ben's signet ring on his finger, and somehow his grandfather had gotten the last laugh anyway.

He didn't know how things could have fallen apart like this, because if Ben didn't want Chad – maybe he'd lied about wanting their 'big mess of a relationship'. Maybe he'd decided it was too much and went back to Audrey. Fuck.

"Was this the backup plan?" Chad forced himself to ask, forced himself to stay composed as Ben led Audrey down the stairs, a vision in pink with glimmering blue jewelry that made Chad want to scream. "I thought the others…"

"Believe me, this was part of no _plan_," Aziz hissed. "What the hell is going on? We left him alone for literally ten minutes, _if_ that-"

"Well, you know." Chad shrugged. "Sometimes it's easier to go with what's familiar."

"Do not go all mopey asshole on me now, Charming," Aziz growled. "We don't have time for it."

But of course they did. This was stupid; Chad should be looking out for Uma. Then he could get the other three and go back to Sardinia where he could sort through the royal mess his grandfather's death had made. There were hordes of guards to be interrogated to see who was loyal to the crown and who was loyal to his grandfather, and those in the second category were going to be out of a job so quickly their heads would spin.

"Thank you, everyone," Ben called, waving off their cheers with a bashful hand. "I know things have been hectic lately, but I wanted to take this opportunity to reestablish a foothold for Auradon's future." He turned an adoring smile on Audrey. "That's why I've selected Audrey as my Lady of the Court, and, if she's willing..." He moved down on one knee.

Holy fuck, Ben was going to _propose_.

Or he would have, had Jane not come out of the crowd and squirted him in the face with some kind of water bottle.

"_Jane!_" Audrey hissed, turning a forced smile onto the young fairy. "What are you _doing_?"

"Enchanted Lake water," Jane explained while Ben patted his face dry with a handkerchief. "Removes all spell and _potion_ enchantments."

"What are you saying?" Audrey shot back. "That Ben has to be under some kind of _spell_ to want me? That's ludicrous."

"And yet," this came from Ben, straightening up to his full height and blinking rapidly. "That is exactly what happened. _Audrey_." He turned a pained look on her. "How could you?"

The princess sputtered. "I was just- there was a _plan_."

"A plan that you're not part of," Jane declared. "You're not the one wearing Ben's signet ring, Audrey."

"No, but I _should_ be!" the princess snapped. "We all know that! Ben-" She turned on him, imploring. "We were so good together, Ben. We can still _be_ good together if you just gave us a chance-"

"You had your chance, Audrey," Ben said, his voice gentle, because even when someone had committed such a grossly heinous crime against him, he could still be kind. "You might be a great queen one day, but you won't be _my_ queen."

Cue frantic murmurs from the crowd, and finally Chad caught sight of Mal, her face frozen with anger with Jay looming beside her. Doug seemed to be the only thing keeping them in line, which Chad was grateful for, if only because that meant that at least Doug hadn't lost everything too.

"Then who?" Audrey snapped, backing away from them. "Who could you pick that's so much _better_, Ben?"

"Chad," Jane said, voice light despite the explosion of noise the statement created. "Ben gave his ring to Chad."

"Oh, fuck," Chad whispered, because he actually couldn't do this. He found his hands scrambling for the ship's railings as he frantically considered his options.

"_Asshole_," Aziz whispered. "You cannot jump _overboard_. That's dramatic, even for you."

"I can do whatever the fuck I want, _Aziz_," Chad shot back. "This was a horrible idea. Was it yours? This seems like it would be your terrible idea."

"I'm going to remind you of this later, when everything's _fine_."

And then Audrey was shouting again. "Chad's not here, Jane!" She gestured to the crowd. "He hasn't _been_ here!"

"Actually-" And that was Carlos – cool, collected Carlos. "He got here just before you did."

Ben's transformation was immediate, hope and something unreadable in his expression. "Chad?" He looked around. "Chad!"

"I still think going overboard is a viable option," Chad hissed. "Could you tell Uma to meet me in the ocean? I'm pretty sure she won't let me drown."

"We're gonna have words about betting your life on 'pretty sure's'," Aziz shot back. "And you're _not_ jumping overboard. Honestly, I'm surprised he hasn't found you in that sparkly ass suit of yours-"

"That was Jane'sfault." Chad flushed. "She was feeling all romantic or whatever and who am I to argue with the person _rescuing me_?"

"You're arguing with me _right now_," Aziz huffed. "And I've saved your ass plenty of times."

"Well maybe try helping me out again." Chad was panicking, he had no other words for it. "Here, you take Ben's ring. Your parents totally won't kidnap you for loving a dude."

"Hello." Aziz rolled his eyes. "It's not _my_ name the king is yelling like a lunatic right now."

"Not with _that_ kind of attitude," Chad shot back, and then they had to stop arguing because Ben was there.

"_Finally_," Aziz sighed, stepping away from them. "He's all yours, your majesty."

"Hi, Ben," Chad offered, putting on his best grin despite the aforementioned panic. "I mean, your majesty-"

And then he was being kissed. A _lot_.

Ben was kissing him the way he needed air to breathe, kissing him like he was afraid Chad would disappear between his very fingers – and maybe he just, hadn't believed Jay because Ben was too nice to believe something so bad of people and obviously _that_ was what happened. Ben just didn't know. So he kissed Chad with a fiery passion not necessarily polite for public, and Chad was going to have to break this dumb fuck's heart again later.

"Ben," he gasped when he finally managed to pull away. "Cotillion? Remember?"

"Right, yes- _right_." Ben's smile was so wide it must hurt, but then he was dragging Chad into a tight hug, pressing kisses against his hair. "You're so fucking pretty, I can't- you're _here_."

"_Ben_," Chad sighed. "We've sort of got a thing to do."

And a lot of people watching them, despite being in a shadowy corner.

"_Right_," Ben repeated. He made little work of grabbing Chad's hand, tugging him back towards the center of the dancefloor. "Sorry for the confusion, everyone. Now that _that's_ been taken care of, I'd like to introduce to you my _Gentleman_ of the Court, Prince Chadwick James!"

The crowd cheered despite their obvious confusion, taking the change in stride as Ben kissed the knuckles of the hand wearing his signet ring.

And then he aimed those impossibly hopeful eyes at Chad. "May I have this dance, your highness?"

Despite himself, Chad grinned – genuine and soft instead of charming. "I'd be honored, your majesty."

Chad was painfully aware of the gazes on them when they started the first dance, and he couldn't help but wonder if this was how his mother felt when she had arrived at the ball. She'd been so determined to find her friend the apprentice – hadn't expected him to be prince but loved him just the same. Chad wondered if he was what Ben had expected, then knew it wasn't true, because Ben thought Chad was still faithful to him.

"I can't believe you're here," Ben said, eyes shining with moisture. "You're _here_, and you're so-" He grinned at the suit. "Lovely."

"Jane's handiwork." Chad felt his cheeks flush. "On both counts."

"Then I'm forever in her debt," Ben said with an open honesty that continued to wreck Chad.

"Keep it together," Chad whispered. "And maybe stop accepting snacks from people who don't like you."

"I know." Ben's expression fell into one of apology – though it was muted, showing that he was at least _aware_ he was in public. "I wasn't thinking. This whole thing's been awful."

"I'll say," Chad chuckled. "I um- heard about my grandfather."

He felt Ben's hands tense on his shoulders. "Me too," he murmured. "You have my deepest condolences."

"Thank you, your majesty."

"No, just- Ben." Ben squeezed his hand. "Always Ben, for you-"

"Ben," Chad whispered, had to fight to keep his expression pleasantly calm. "What Jay saw…" No, now wasn't the time for this, they had a public to beguile. "We'll talk about it later."

"We'll talk about many things later," Ben pressed. "Starting with how I'm never allowing you out of my sight ever again."

"Sounds like a violation of basic privacy," Chad mused.

"You know what I meant, you clever beast." Ben grinned, eyes getting all shiny again. "I missed you. I missed you so much. We all did."

"Thanks." Chad swallowed, somehow maintaining his composure. "I missed you too."

With that, they finished the first dance with a few elaborate bows, Ben wasting no time threading Chad's arm through his elbow. "Jane, is the um- surprise ready?"

"I believe it is, your majesty," Jane said, soft and sweet, before motioning towards a curtained off area to reveal-

"Is that a _cookie_ in my hand?" Chad hissed, trying to take in the stained-glass representations of himself and Ben – seemingly dancing on lake water, and also with a dumbass cookie just- _right there_.

"Yeah," Ben sighed. "That was Mal's idea."

"I take back every nice thing I ever said about you," Chad muttered. "You're all dumb."

"_Aw_, I'm glad you like it," Ben chirped, and then they went off to perform their civic duties.

-:-:-:-:-:-

Fortunately, part of these duties involved dancing and catering to other royalty, and eventually Chad got to 'organically' stumble into Uma, asking her for a dance after the bare minimum of pleasantries had been exchanged.

"Hey," Chad greeted as Uma slid into his arms, dressed in a turquoise dream that made her look every inch the sea goddess Harry worshiped her as.

"Hey," she replied with a sly look, seemingly poised even if the grip on his back was insistent, like she wanted to make sure he didn't disappear from her hands. "You look sharp, slim."

"And you're gorgeous," he answered, genuinely awed and loving the way it made her smirk, like she was being given her due.

"Flatterer," she muttered. "You know, I threatened to gut a king for you."

"_Uma_." Chad kept his expression steady through sheer force of will. "Don't-"

"I already told you I take care of what's mine," she said coolly, her tone allowing no room for argument. "If they didn't want us to claim you, they shouldn't have kept us in the same safe house." She rolled her eyes. "Probably wouldn't have, but they'd only been able to secure one location, which was fortunate for you." She allowed him to lead her through a careful spin. "Since they didn't know about the poison."

"They didn't?" Chad would have thought Aziz or Lonnie would have told them.

"They thought you'd been drugged," Uma explained. "Didn't know it was long term. Didn't know you'd had the effects reversed the morning Jay decided to crash the party and yell at you."

Chad didn't flinch because they were in public, people were watching them, waiting for them the mess up, but he knew his expression froze slightly. "It was a fair reaction on his part."

"Please." Uma rolled her eyes. "If anything, we took advantage of you."

"You made me feel again," Chad pressed, subtly shaking his head. "At night and in the end- it was a relief to be given those moments after having nothing, and-" He didn't shrug, couldn't now that he was a _G__entleman of the Court_. "At least that way I was good for something. I was giving something _back_ after you'd been forced to help me."

Uma stared at him, really looked at him even though her dancing didn't so much as stumble, everything smooth and elegant, like she'd been practicing. "You know, they tell us all these stories about wicked stepmothers, but out here, they rarely talk about the monsters that share your blood. Guess they thought they'd sent all those off to the Isle," she mused. "Your grandfather though- he was a real piece of work. And he's wrong, by the way. All the ways you think you've failed, like you owe us – any of us – anything? That's wrong." She angled herself a little closer, as near as propriety would allow. "I didn't realize a prince could hurt like me, hurt like _us_, but Mal was right – they're just better at hiding it here."

"Uma…"

"Don't _'Uma'_ me," she scoffed. "Try to bat your baby blues like Harry as though it'll get you anywhere. I'm telling you like it is, and the fact is that you could give the messy conglomerate you have chosen as your crew _nothing_ until the day you die and we'd still want you around. Because you just being you- that's enough for us. That's all we need."

Chad couldn't cry, wasn't going to cry because this was a happy moment, but he sort of wanted to.

"You're a good captain, Uma," he said quietly, hoping she understand all the words he couldn't say.

She leveled an unimpressed look at him. "Tell me something I don't know, blondie."

But then she laughed, and everything seemed like it _might_ be okay.

-:-:-:-:-:-

The rest of the night passed in a bit of a haze.

Most of it was spent with Ben – dancing with Ben, laughing with Ben, being occasionally groped by Ben. The rest Chad split amongst the crowd, dancing with each of his exes before being claimed by a passionate Harry, by Gil stumbling through the movements but always so eager to please. Chad was given an opportunity to exchange small talk with most of them, but he didn't get a chance to actually _relax_ until they all – Ben, Doug, Chad, and the VKs – piled into the limo Ben had arranged for them, which was likely the only useful thing he'd done that day.

Harry was on top of Chad as soon as they got into the car, much to the annoyance of at least _two_ people Chad could hear.

"Hey, _hey-_" Mal chided, batting at the back of the first mate's head as he tried to kiss Chad silly. "You had months with him, give _us_ something."

"Didn't get to kiss 'im, ye brat," Harry snarled, nuzzling at Chad's throat but reluctantly pulling away, but not before pressing one last kiss to the prince's knuckles. "We already told ye that."

"Give her space, Harry," Uma ordered, rolling her eyes. "We all know Mal's incapable of patience."

"Okay, first of all - _fuck you_," Mal snapped even as she slid into Chad's lap, taking over Harry's position with a haughty tilt of her head before kissing the prince breathless. "He was missing for like, _months_ before we got him to you guys and then we couldn't talk to him _at all_ unless your name is Jay and you are stupid."

"Alright." Jay's shoulders were scrunched by his ears, bracketed by a sympathetic Doug and Evie. "I know I fucked up; you don't have to remind me."

"Yes, we do," Carlos said, none too sweetly. "We have been over what Chad is and is not, and 'slut' or any variety of the word-"

"I _know_," Jay groaned, burying his face in his hands. "I just missed him so fucking much-"

"We _all_ missed him, you asshole," Mal snapped, and Ben would have likely backed her up but he was busy trying to mark Chad's neck, slowly undoing the collar of his shirt so he could murmur how much he loved Chad right into his skin. "But you don't see any of _us_ compromising the safehouse's location, do you? We had birthdays too."

"Birthdays that could have been improved by Chad's presence," Doug added quietly. Not an accusation, just a statement.

Oh, _fuck_. Chad hadn't actually expected Doug to still like him after all this bullshit. What the hell.

"Lots of stuff's improved by Chad," Gil offered sagely. "Yelling is not one of them, though."

"_Fuck_," Jay groaned. "Chad, I'm so sorry-"

"No," Mal cut him off. "You get to properly beg _later_."

"We all know you feel bad," Evie soothed, squeezing Jay's arm. "And that you know you made a mistake. It's not okay, but you are ours, and we'll get through this. I promise."

"_Fuck_," Jay simply repeated, burying his face in her shoulder. Evie pet his hair carefully, shooting Chad a small wave and mouthing the words _'I love you'_ which, for the record, he did not deserve.

"Um-" Chad didn't really know what was going on. "So are we… _not_ broken up?"

Ben paused a moment from worshiping his neck to give Chad a startled look. "No? I mean- the whole-"

"That wasn't just a publicity stunt, Chad," Doug said quietly. "We weren't making a stand for same sex romance in public only to quietly break up with you in private."

"Oh." Chad blinked. "Okay, thanks."

"_Chad_." Ben was doing that thing where he sounded horribly wounded but also didn't know what else to say besides Chad's name.

"It's a fair strategy," Chad sputtered, even though Mal's fingers were digging into his scalp again, tugging at his hair. "I mean, we'd already done all the planning-"

"I love you so much even if you drive me crazy a lot," Ben said, kissing him so thoroughly that Chad was left a boneless, happy mess. "I said I was never going to let you go now that I had you, why would you doubt that?"

"Because." Chad flushed. "I-"

A frustrated expression took over Ben's face. "Not a slut," he hissed, pulling Chad into a deep kiss until they were both desperate for air – looking reluctant to pull away even then. "Not that. _Never_ that, Chad. You're ours."

"Yours," Chad whispered, and it felt too good to be true, even though it was everything he wanted. Everything he'd hoped was still true. "I love you, you idiot."

"We _know_," Uma drawled, even though she was smiling. "You spent the entire time talking about how stupid this guy was but you couldn't do it without the biggest smile on your face."

"What?" Ben looked surprised, then pained. "_Chad_."

"You are stupid," Chad huffed. "But I love you anyway, so I guess I just admire that quality in a person."

"That certainly explains _Jay_," Harry muttered, blinking when Carlos offered up a fist for him to bump, Jay making a pained sound into the cradle of his hands.

"Um…" But seriously, Chad didn't know what was happening.

"We'll talk it all out, later," Mal decided. "Short version, we have generously allowed Uma and her two crewmates-"

"They have _names_," Uma growled.

"-to join us," Mal continued as though she hadn't heard her. Which was probably going to be interesting. "And Jane, Aziz, and Lonnie are going to handle everything for the next few days so _we're_ going to get in some cuddle time, and then some heart-to-hearts where Jay can get down on his knees and beg until Uma's satisfied."

"Not me?" Chad asked, because, you know, _he_ was the one that had gotten yelled at.

It was weird how both Mal and Uma rolled their eyes at the same time. "You'd forgive him too easily," Mal said. "Like, in a second. You're probably not even mad at him now."

"I mean-" Chad flushed. Honestly, he was just glad to know Jay didn't hate him. "It's Jay- of course he's going to do dumb things."

"_See?_" Mal said, sharing an annoyed look with Uma as they apparently bonded over Chad's easy forgiveness. "It's bullshit. Since Uma was actually _there_, and also loves you a lot-" She turned to the captain. "Good taste, by the way-"

"I fuckin' know it," the captain replied, voice smooth even though she was preening, because apparently she also loved Chad.

What even.

"-we've decided to defer to her judgement." Mal offered a sorry salute to Jay. "Good luck, my dude. You'll need it."

"Happy thoughts," Evie quietly urged, and it was weird to have all these people, these treasures Chad had come to revel in so deeply in one place and happy, for the most part.

It was so overwhelming Chad could cry from it, had he but the tears.

"This suit isn't disappearing by midnight, is it?" Mal asked, fingering the delicate material Jane had conjured Chad from nothing.

"Oh, it is," Harry soothed, had worked his way in so he was kissing at Chad's knee. "Maybe not by magic, but it'll be gone sure enough."

"That," Carlos chirped. "-is what I'm talking about."

"Lunatics," Chad muttered, knew he was flushing up a storm. "You're all lunatics."

"Yeah, but we're _your_ lunatics," Ben cheered, pressing an obnoxious kiss to his cheek. "Yours until the day we die."

"And maybe after that," Uma allowed with a shrug. "Kinda depends on how we feel."

"So… we can kiss them now?" Gil asked, motioning to all the non-crewmates. "Is that what happened?"

"Yeah, baby," Evie soothed, nice and gentle. "That's what happened."

"Huh." Gil blinked. "What a good day to be us."

"Fuckin' amen to that," Mal muttered.

And that, was that.

-:-:-:-:-:-

They retreated back to Auradon Castle, because after the genuine _mess_ they had dealt with, it was one of the few locations they had managed to totally secure. As glad as Chad was to be with them, to be _home_ and loved and treasured, he worried for Sardinia, worried for the fallout from the Duke, at least until Mal put Jane on the phone. Jane, who explained _she_ was going to be personally in charge of cleaning that up, and his only job was to recuperate and no, she did not want to hear from him for at least a few days.

It was somewhat a necessity on his part as it was. Turned out with the Duke's passing, all sorts of files had been uncovered revealing the man's orchestration of the death of Chad's mother. Sardinia was a bit of a mess now, but Jane was determined to handle it, canceling the grand memorial that was intended for the Duke and giving Chad's mother the honor and decency she deserved.

Chad worried for his father, feared that depression would claim him once and for all, but Aziz had swiftly relocated the man to Agrabah to be doted on by his family – and if anyone was good at getting someone out of a slump, it was Sultana Jasmine. She was a determined lady.

"_It'll be good for him_," Jane assured him. "_Just like this break will be good for __**you**__. You don't owe the public anymore explanations, so cuddle with your partners, and if you even __**think**__ about calling me before at least a week has passed, I will sic Lonnie on you_."

By the time the conversation ended, Uma was nodding approvingly and Chad was blushing, but that was okay because Gil cuddled him better, and that time he could actually _feel_ it.

The evening was a blur. Everyone wanted contact with him and he wanted contact with _them_ so he just sort of ended up going from person to person, being cherished and loved in small groups while he shuddered his way through it. There was a lot of kissing, especially when Chad asked what, exactly, had happened to the Duke and Carlos had only given him a vindictive smile that had the prince going down on the young De Ville so enthusiastically that his shouts could be heard from outside the room.

Ben and Mal took Chad between them, because they had become quite the deadly duo in his absence. Ben murmured sweet nothings into Chad's ear as he rutted into him from behind, Mal urging him deeper as she squeezed around his aching length, until Chad thought he would lose himself from it, crying against her mouth.

Evie and Gil made it their mission to get Chad worked up again, Gil pulling Chad into his lap while Evie doted on him with soft kisses, both of their hands nestled firmly between his legs. Uma spent that time prepping Doug for Chad, sliding the dwarf kin into _Chad's_ lap and then rutting Harry against _him_ while the first mate moaned and moaned.

They didn't allow Jay to touch, not really. They made him watch, but near the end, they let Chad kiss him – Chad who was just as desperate for Jay's reassurance as any of the others. They kissed while Uma cast some kind of spell so _she_ could fuck into Chad's heat, letting Harry toy between his legs and it was a lot and too much and they were watching but he was safe and it was so very good he cried.

Sobbed, brokenly into Jay's mouth, but he was there for Chad, assuring him that he wasn't a slut, that he was loved, that he was generous. He held Chad close as he rocked through his last orgasm, and then Chad just sort of drifted away, completely overwhelmed by the hectic events of the day, of last-minute rescues and almost-heartbreak and happy endings and sex marathons.

He was pretty sure he got bathed at some point, and when he drifted closer to coherence, he was dressed in Ben's pajamas and cradled between Doug, Evie, and Carlos, which was exactly where Chad wanted to be.

-:-:-:-:-:-

Nothing was as intense as the first night, but there was always someone nearby to give Chad some kind of comfort in the following days, whether it was holding his hand or wrapping an arm around his back or easing him into a hug, or just keeping him company while he tried to catch up with all the public events he had missed in his six months he'd been held hostage. He'd have to work through the summer to stay ahead in school, but Uma, Gil, and Harry could keep him company for that, because they needed it too. He tried to apologize for missing Ben and Evie's coronation (they'd decided to do it at the same time, as a _symbol_, to show the Duke he had not broken them) but literally _no one_ would have it, and they took turns kissing him into silence any time he attempted to give an apology.

They also took turns cradling him close, telling him what he'd missed and how they missed _him_, and Chad found that stubborn aching void in his chest _finally_ melt away, because he'd been so worried that the distance would dim their fondness. That the extra drama and political loopholes would make Chad not seem worth it, and he hadn't even dated them all that long anyway, and yet-

Every one of them was glad for his presence, and he was glad for theirs.

_Ten_. It was almost ridiculous to think about, and yet, totally poetic.

A distant part of Chad hoped his grandfather was rolling in his grave, but more pointedly, he decided he was tired of letting the old man have any kind of interference in his life. He was done. _Free_.

It was Chad's life to live, now.

-:-:-:-:-:-

"_Hey_," Aziz greeted over the phone, the sound of a smile obvious in his voice. "_How you doing, lover boy?_"

"I'm good," Chad chirped, feeling relaxed and overwhelmed with happiness. "Great, even. I suppose I owe you an apology."

"_Try half a dozen_," Aziz decided. "_But that actually wasn't what I called about_."

"Oh?" Chad prompted, knowing Aziz liked a little back and forth before he got to his dramatic reveals.

Fortunately, this time it didn't take long. "_Guess who's finally getting the therapy she desperately needs?_"

"Audrey consented to therapy?" Chad was genuinely surprised by that turn of events.

"_Sort of had to_," Aziz said. "_Ben might be willing to dismiss the charges against her for drugging him, but uh- let's just say Lonnie and I weren't willing to do the same thing for when she drugged __**you**_."

"…that was like, a year ago," Chad pointed out. "Isn't it past the statute of limitations?"

"_Nope_," Aziz drawled, really emphasizing the 'p'. "_Jane collected the necessary evidence against her as soon as it happened. Pressing charges was impossible because of the Duke, but the one good thing from his tragic passing was that we could bring the event up to the proper authorities, thus leading to Audrey actually getting charged with something_."

"You assholes," Chad grumbled, but it was entirely fond, flushed and happy that he had such a devoted, talented team to back him up. "You didn't have to do that."

"_To quote the words of Lonnie, 'Yes we fucking did, and I don't want to hear any arguments, you nimrod'_."

"Ah, good ole' Lonnie," Chad hummed. "Always so reliable."

"_Fuck you too_," Aziz laughed, noticing his obvious exclusion. "_Point is, I thought you'd like to know that Audrey would be spending the next four years in the fanciest juvenile detention center Auradon has, which isn't great, but at least she'll be getting the therapy she needs_."

"And get away from Queen Leah's toxic clutches," Chad noted. "I swear, half her problems came from that lady alone."

"_You aren't wrong_," Aziz hummed. "_Now go forth, have fun with your gratuitous acts of sex. And let Jay know if he ever fucks you over again I'm going to break his damn legs, which will be a cakewalk compared to what Lonnie and Jane will do to him_."

"I'll pass that on," Chad laughed, because he could, because he was free, because he deserved it. "Take care, Aziz. I love you, man."

"_I love you too, blondie_," Aziz chirped. "_Now go get some_."

"I will indeed," Chad preened, and then that was that, because some friendships didn't require goodbyes.

Because it was never really the end.

-:-:-:-:-:-

And then came the night Jay had to be punished.

Chad sat and watched while Mal and Uma carefully picked the Agraben apart with their words, explaining all the things he had done wrong, what he should have done, how it could have been _worse_. Evie had warned Chad going in that things would seem harsh, but he had to remember that once the punishment was done the matter was settled. It wouldn't be brought up again, held against Jay at a future date, which was _why_ they were so careful with their dress downs. It was how Chad kept his silence even when he wanted nothing more than to reach out and take Jay into his arms, nuzzle him close. He hadn't meant to make a mistake; he'd only missed Chad.

It was a feeling Chad could relate to, and as such, couldn't hold against him.

It was sort of a relief when Uma and Mal drew to a close. At least until Uma cleared her throat.

"One last thing," the captain said, using that particular tone that indicated that there would be _many_ last things and they sure as hell did not get a say in it.

Chad could have sworn he heard Jay whimper.

"You earned this," Uma reminded him, and from her spot lounging across the bed, Mal gave a look of wicked approval. "Harry, you can come in now."

Jay _groaned_.

"Uma," Chad sighed, though he was happy to see Harry. Happy to see any of them. "I think he's adequately conveyed his apology."

"Yes," Uma agreed. "_You_, think that. We don't."

"Hello, lovely," Harry greeted, pressing a kiss to Chad's hand while those devilish eyes stared him down. "How may I be of service?"

"Harry," Uma sat herself down next to Mal, as though settling herself in for a performance. "Could you strip his highness, please?"

"_Uma_." Chad flushed, but made no effort to stop Harry as the first mate toyed with the hem of his shirt, stepping into Chad's personal space to claim his lips in a gentle kiss.

"I think a demonstration is in order," Uma explained as Harry eased the shirt up his torso, breaking apart only long enough to pull the offending garment off of Chad completely before reeling him in. "Show Jay what we were actually doing. Maybe then he wouldn't be so critical."

"He um-" Chad gasped when Harry bit down on his neck, conscious of the whine that spilled from Jays throat. "-made a mistake."

"No talking, Chad," Uma chided. "Unless it's to instruct me or Harry."

"Lovely," Harry repeated, slinking down to his knees so he could kiss Chad's stomach, easing his pajama pants down in a slow tease that would likely drive Jay crazy. "Missed you."

"I missed you too, Harry." Chad said, cutting off in a gasp when the first mate began pressing kisses against his inner thighs, like he actually wanted Chad to fall over. "U-Uma-"

"Don't complain to me," she purred, eyes half-lidded and victorious. "We can _all_ see how much you like it."

A shudder wracked through his body, his internal temperature rising as he became aware of their stares on his um- 'effected' area.

Harry took his time dragging Chad's underwear down his legs, staring at the revealed skin as though it were a prize just for him. "Ready for me, my duckling?" he hummed, fingers digging into the blond's hips. "Wish I could taste ye like Gilly got to, but the captain has a plan." Chad swallowed hard. "There'll be plenty o' time for that later, though."

"Only if I get to watch," Mal decided. "And Jay doesn't."

Uma, who seemed about to object, conceded with that addendum.

Jay groaned again.

"Come on." Harry rose to his feet in an easy movement. "I got a bath ready for you, unless-" He bit at his bottom lip. "Ye'd like to return the favor?"

Chad flushed. "…since you asked so nicely."

He couldn't hide the slight tremble of his fingers as he eased the sweater off Harry's shoulders, exchanging lazy kisses that Chad sighed into. It was weird to think after all this, Harry still wanted him – that _any_ of them still wanted him – but it was also liberating to know that he could do _this_ and Harry actually wanted it. _Fuck_.

The process of taking off Harry's shirt probably took longer than necessary because Chad was happy making out with the pirate, pressing in close and letting Harry's hands settle on his hips. It was only Uma clearing her throat that got Chad moving again, Harry visibly _preening_ at Jay's pained groan.

It was nice being on this side of the equation, and Chad took his time kissing down Harry's chest, doting on each and every scar until Harry was swallowing whines, his hands shaking on Chad's shoulders. Chad wouldn't have strayed from Harry's stomach if he didn't have to, so he pushed his sweatpants down with slow, careful movements, until he could see that ratty boxers had been replaced with boxer briefs that did Harry wonderful justice.

"_Fuck_," Chad breathed, mouthing at Harry through the soft material. The reaction was instant, Harry letting out a few low curses while his legs trembled, and Chad wanted to pursue that, felt the heat build to something ferocious at the thought of having this much power over the first mate, of being _allowed_ this much power.

"Now, now, boys," Uma drawled. "You've got to save something for the tub."

"You _try_ when he's like this," Harry hissed. "Blondie, _please_, ye gonna-"

"Okay," Chad said, pressing one last kiss to Harry's hip before pulling the briefs down. "But um- I wanna- if it's okay-"

"_Fuck_," Jay gasped, rubbing a hand across his face.

"And this wasn't even supposed to be the punishment part," Mal mused.

"Guess if we want to keep Jay in line, we can just get Harry to ask Chad for a blowjob," Uma noted with a spiteful grin.

"I would also give you guys the- um, equivalent," Chad said, nuzzling against Harry's stomach before rising to his feet once more.

"Oh, _evil_," Mal groaned, making a show of fanning herself. "Evie's going to be sad she missed this."

"Evie's got Ben, Doug, Gil, and _Carlos_ to contend with, right now," Uma said. "Somehow, I think she'll be fine. Now let's get moving."

"Are they-" Chad flushed as he followed Harry into the bathroom, the other three trailing after. "I mean- right now?"

"Gotta do _something_ to keep them distracted," Uma said with a shrug, like that wasn't just- knowledge that would shatter Chad completely. "Otherwise they'd all be in here too."

"_Guys_," Chad groaned.

He could not handle that knowledge.

"Don't worry," Uma waved him off. "We'll deliver your happy, boneless self to the others once we're done here."

Chad flushed harder. "We don't have to-"

"This is about _you_," Mal reminded him. "Well, it's mostly about Jay, but the bonus is it _gets_ to be about you."

"_Damn_," Jay muttered, only looking mildly reproachful when Mal smacked away the hand he was rubbing between his legs.

"Come on," Harry said, settling into the tub. He motioned for Chad to climb in after him, letting the prince's back settle against his chest, wrapping an arm around his waist to keep him in place. "There ye go."

It was the more vulnerable of their tub positions, though Chad knew why they had picked it. This gave a better view of what Jay would be 'missing', even if it left Chad on more open display. There was some unease, though Harry seemed to sense that, murmuring soft praises into Chad's ear when he seemed uncomfortable.

"Here we go," Uma said, cradling her necklace between her hands. "We'll start slow, okay?"

Chad was grateful for it because he didn't know how much he could take. He liked to pretend he'd forgotten how it felt to be teased by Uma's water because he thought it wouldn't happen again, but the first stirs of warmth teasing between his legs were unmistakable. With barely any contact he was already arching back against Harry, his head falling against the pirate's shoulder as his hips rutted hard into that pressure.

"Been a bit, hasn't it sweetheart?" Uma mused, coy grin pulling at her lips. "Think you can hold out for me?"

"N-no." Chad flushed, humiliated by the admittance, but Harry rubbed small, comforting circles against his hips, pressed kisses against his jaw.

"I think you can," Uma said. "I think you're capable of more than you know. You like giving Jay a show, don't you?"

Chad bit at his lip, not hard enough to taste blood but close enough to center him, nodding in jerked movements. "Y-yes."

"And Jay, you like watching him, right?"

"Fuck _yes_," the ex-thief gushed, both hands clutching the edge of the tub as he looked in.

"Chad," Uma continued, making a particularly hard _pulse_ between his legs that had him moaning. "Why don't you tell Jay what it was like the first time we did this? Maybe that will help you last."

"Um." Chad could feel his blush spilling down his chest, knew from the warm swirls of water that his nipples were being affected too. "I- I couldn't- I hadn't been able to- to feel anything in months and-" Another _twist_ and his hips spasmed. "I um- it was fine, just- I couldn't move all that much and I- then Uma-" He breathed carefully, trying to settle his thoughts. "I could _feel_ again and- I'm sorry. I just-" He felt a familiar wetness warning at the corner of his eyes. "I _liked_ it, being able to feel. And they were so nice about it. I just- I wanted _nice_, again."

"_Chad_." Jay's entire expression was pained. "_Fuck_, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm happy they made you feel good. You deserve it, I just- I wish I could have done it for you-"

"Enough of that," Uma said. "You'll get your turn."

"Promise?" Jay asked, voice sounding small.

Uma shared a look with Mal, who reluctantly nodded her head.

"Promise," Uma declared. "Now get strippin' before I change my mind."

"But _captain_," Harry groaned, the words cutting off in a choke when she shifted her magic to affect Harry too.

"Don't 'captain' me," Uma drawled, ignoring the way that Jay eagerly shed his clothes beside her. "You two are gonna have to learn how to share at some point, and we all know how Chad likes to be held."

"That-" Chad blushed. "That's a natural reaction-"

"You don't have to explain yourself to us," Mal soothed, running a hand through his hair, then copying the movement on Harry. "We love you just as you are."

Chad shuddered.

"_Fuck_," Harry moaned, and then Jay was climbing into the tub, bracketing both of them in and groaning because Uma's efforts had gotten _vicious_, and Chad could feel it, could feel Harry behind him and Jay against him and the thief was pressing messy kisses against his lips, only pulling away at Harry's warning growl before kissing _him_ too.

It was a delightful way to get the first mate silent, all protest cut off with a beautiful flush.

"H-Harry's my princess," Chad told Jay when he pulled back, mostly to see that blush darken, Harry trying to hide his embarrassment with a scowl.

"Is he?" Jay asked. "Wanna be my princess too, Hook?"

"Shut it, _Jadir_," Harry snapped, arm clutching possessively at Chad's waist. "If anyone's a princess, it's you and your dumb _hair_."

"I like his hair," Chad gasped.

"You three are far too coherent," Uma said, which was about the last thing Chad was able to process over a blinding heat of ecstasy.

By the time he finally came down, Jay was slumped against him, mouthing kisses against his shoulder on what seemed to be principle, Harry barely lucid behind him.

"Wow," Mal deadpanned. "That was effective."

"Told you bath time was worth it," Uma chirped, seeming endlessly pleased with herself.

"Y-you should see her tentacles," Chad huffed, deciding that he might just live in this tub now, this was his new home.

"Believe me, I have." Mal grinned. "Jay has too, haven't you buddy?"

"_Fuck_," Jay groaned, burying his face in Chad's neck.

"Thought he was getting molested by an octopus," Harry giggled. "Which- he sorta was."

"I've never been so aroused or embarrassed in my _life_."

Chad grinned, mustering up the energy to pet the back of Jay's head. "Sounds like we should have a repeat performance, then."

Jay's response was to merely flush.

Mal cackled. "Guess we're renting a beach house for our anniversary."

"As though Ben doesn't have a royal beach retreat," Chad drawled.

"Does he?" Mal said. "Bitch was holding out on us."

"To be fair…" Chad started, then sighed. "You know what? Never mind. I haven't seen you guys in forever. Who knows what that dipshit was doing."

"Picking out a lot of wedding rings," Jay mumbled. "Pretend to be surprised."

"…_what_?"

"_Jay_," Mal hissed. "Do you _want_ to be punished again?"

"Yes, please."

"Hopeless," Uma said, rolling her eyes. "The lot of you are hopeless."

"I mean, but we're yours, right?" Chad asked, partly joking but mostly… not.

She seemed to get this. "Right you are, blondie. You messes are _mine_."

"And _mine_," Mal added, not to be outdone.

"And maybe Ben's," Jay murmured. "If he gives Mal and Uma strong enough puppy eyes."

"_Ugh_," Uma groaned. "I hate those things. They're so… _effective_."

"Don't I know it," Chad said, and then they all just sort of bonded over how spastic and relentless Ben was. "So um…" Chad cleared his throat. "About those rings?"

"Seriously, Jay," Mal huffed. "_Fuck you_."

"Yeah, _fuck me_," Jay agreed, and Chad promptly gave up on getting any answers.

* * *

-:-:-:-:-:-

* * *

Endnotes:

Won't lie, I'm super proud of that last line. One of my better ones, I think ^_^

And yeah, Ben's puppy eyes are _fierce_. There is no question, lol.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed, favorited, and followed this bad boy! Times being as crazy as they are, I'm glad to provide a measure of levity, and I've greatly enjoyed hearing from you guys :)

Next chapter will be a very small selection of deleted scenes (didn't actually have that many for once), and then I will shortly be posting my next Descendants fic, 'A Small But Stubborn Fire', in about an hour. You will surprised to note it is _also_ a Chad story. I know, shocker ;D

Until next time :)

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'_Very soon. Very soon. That's the sound of longing. Are you there? Are you there? Will you answer me?_' – 'Answer Me' from 'The Band's Visit'.


	6. Deleted Scenes

Chapter 6 – Deleted Scenes

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**A Different Ending**

Notes: _What follows are a couple of scenes that took place in a timeline where Chad did not make his triumphant return at Cotillion, and Jay also didn't compromise the safehouse. Ultimately I decided against them for lack of drama, but they still provide some solid Ben/Chad moments, so here they are for your enjoyment __:)_

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"I might have cheated on you," Chad declared later, when it was finally just the two of them, Ben exhausted but grinning and Chad didn't want to end that, but he also didn't want to live a lie. "It's complicated. Actually." He paused, because that was too kind. "It's not. But I just thought you should know."

For a moment, Ben didn't say anything, didn't move from his spot beside Chad even though he should have by now. "What happened?" he asked eventually.

Ben was always a sucker for punishment.

"In the safe house," Chad explained, keeping his gaze fixed to the ceiling. "You know, where you had three strangers take care of me without giving them a code word, or _something-_"

Ben winced. "Yeah, Jane was mad about that too."

"Good," Chad huffed. "Because it was killer on my nerves." Before he could get sidetracked, Chad continued. "The poison killed most of my mobility and ability to feel things, so Gil helped me with… pretty much everything. Including bathing."

Ben tensed. "That's not cheating, Chad. That wasn't even your fault-"

"Yeah, I'm not done." Chad sighed. "Gil found out I couldn't feel things- _there-_" He gestured to his crotch. "Then ran and got Uma, who couldn't heal the poison but she could um- _stimulate the nerve endings_ when I was in the bathtub, so-" Chad sighed again. "Basically I masturbated in front of them enough times to stop counting, which I'm pretty sure counts as cheating."

There was a distinct pause. "…sounds like Uma was involved in part of that, so it's not _really_ masturbation-"

"Come _on_, Ben," Chad groaned. "I did something intimate with someone I wasn't dating just because I wanted to- _feel_ something again, and I was lonely, and it isn't an excuse but it's definitely _cheating_ so just- yell or something."

"No," Ben said, proving his stance of being the most frustrating human alive. "I'm not holding what you did while you were mostly incapacitated and recovering from _kidnapping_ against you. That's a um- what do they call it? A hall pass."

"_Ben_," Chad sighed. "Don't be reasonable about this. Get angry."

"Why?" Ben asked. "Because you think you deserve to be punished?" He waited a beat while white noise seemed to flood Chad's ears. "Sorry, I don't agree."

"Why" Chad shot back. "Because you think I've been punished enough already? That's not an _excuse-_"

"Chad." Ben wasn't content to leave him alone at this point, rolling so that he could crowd into Chad's space, could cuddle him against his side. "You were stolen and it was horrible. Every day I felt like I was dying inside and then when we finally found you I couldn't _be_ with you, I couldn't hold you and tell you I loved you and how much I missed you and how it felt like the world was falling apart without you there – so _fuck_, if Uma was able to give you some measure of comfort in my place, the last thing I'm going to be is upset. I'll thank her right now if she made you feel good, if she gave you _something_ while I was stuck on the other side of the kingdom pining without you. So no, I'm not mad. None of the others are going to be mad. If anything, we're jealous that we didn't get to see it."

"Fucking _shit_, Ben," Chad hissed, feeling his face begin to heat up. "Don't say shit like that."

"Can and will, baby," Ben replied, proving he was corny beyond all measure as he began nuzzling Chad's throat. "Bet you looked so pretty falling apart like that, pink lips falling open with desperate little gasps-"

"_Ben_," Chad groaned, felt his heartrate speed up as Ben began kissing his neck with fervor, nipping and biting at long neglected skin that _sang_ under his attention.

"Think Uma will show me if I ask?" Ben murmured, finding that sweet spot on Chad's shoulder and making him shake apart. "Don't know if I'll be able to keep my hands to myself, but _fuck_, do I want to see. Jay too," Ben continued, sliding Chad's shirt up with desperate interest. "He'd hold your legs open _for_ her, if he could stop being jealous long enough to do it."

"Don't-" Chad moaned, knew he'd have to live with that mental image and wasn't sure if he could do it- "_Ben._"

"You're so cute when you whine." Ben was smiling as he descended on Chad's chest, biting and sucking as he went. "Did she get you to chant her name?"

"Y-yeah." Chad flushed, toes curling when Ben strategically angled a thigh between his legs, urging Chad to grind up against him. "I don't know- why you guys need that so badly-"

"You've obviously never seen you in action," Ben huffed, lavishing Chad's chest before tugging on his hair, making his back arch with want. "It's one of the greatest things ever. _Fuck_," he hissed, and Ben so rarely cursed that it _did_ things to Chad. "I missed you. Love you so much, baby. Love you-"

"Ben," Chad gasped, felt tears building behind his eyes. "Ben, I can't- I'm gonna-"

"That's it," Ben soothed. "You come just for me. Come saying my name, baby. Pretty please."

Fucking _hell_, this guy. "Ben-" Chad groaned. "Ben. Ben. Ben, I'm gonna-"

He broke with a cry, rutting hard against Ben's thigh until he was totally undone, until he was lost to a haze of sweet kisses and praise that Ben refused to stop giving him, even when Chad was a whining, boneless mess.

"So pretty," Ben said. "So sweet. Love you. Love you."

"You- um, take that back," Chad huffed, but was silenced with a kiss, Ben laughing all the while.

"_Never_," he pledged. "You're our sweet boy. The most generous-" Kiss. "Prince-" Kiss. "In all the land."

"_Fuck_, if I just- agree with you, will you _stop?_"

"Nope." Ben smiled. "Get used to this, because the others are waiting to dote on you too."

"Forget it," Chad huffed – he'd never be able to survive that. "I don't know why I missed you assholes."

"Because you _love_ us," Ben taunted, kissing him again. "Which is good, because we love you too. Mal was willing to burn down the world for you." He kissed Chad again. "I was willing to let her."

"_Ben-_"

"You're so cute when you're flustered," Ben laughed. "You mean so much to us. I'm gonna tell you that every day, okay?"

"This is not how I thought this conversation would go."

"Yeah, that's generally the case with these things," Ben offered sagely, as though he knew _shit_. "I already told you I wasn't going to let you go now that I have you. Why did you think I was lying?"

"Because I'm-" Chad flushed, not wanting to finish the sentence.

A frustrated look took over Ben's face. "Not a slut," he hissed, pulling Chad into a deep kiss until they were both desperate for air, and looking reluctant to pull away even then. "Not that. _Never_ that, Chad. You're ours."

"Yours," Chad whispered, and it felt too good to be true, even though it was everything he wanted. Everything he'd hoped was still true. "I love you, you idiot."

"I love you too," Ben grinned. "And it might ease your mind to know that we um- may be expanding our little love-faction."

"_Stop_ calling it that and-" Chad blinked. "Wait, _what_?"

"Just." Ben flushed. "You know, I wasn't lying about Uma showing me that thing she did."

Chad took a moment to process this.

"…_what?_"

-:-:-:-:-:-

Apparently, after Chad had been kidnapped _a second time_, Mal and the others had teamed up with Uma's crew to help recover him – or, meet him halfway – and somewhere in _that_ process they had all bonded over their mutual appreciation of _Chad_.

Which was stupid. They were stupid, all stupid, but it was an undeniable fact, so.

Jay and Harry might be more rivals than anything else, but Gil got along with almost anyone and Uma thought Doug was adorable and everything just sort of- went downhill from there, which was weird but also led to Chad waking up to Harry pressing kisses against his stomach while Evie watched, which filled a number of needs for Chad that he hadn't realized he'd had.

And despite the fact they'd had to fight a literal political revolution over their unique romantic situation, none of them batted an eye at adding more to their _'love quorum'_ as Ben jokingly put it, and Chad couldn't just angst about being a whore because otherwise that would make all the people he loved _also_ whores and he wasn't going to do that, so-

This became the new normal.

And somehow, he was okay with that.

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Endnotes:

And that was all she wrote :)

Until next time


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